Piece by Piece
by neko-in-blue
Summary: "Is love something you can build, piece by piece?" YAOI. Kikumaru Eiji x Oishi Shuichirou x Tezuka Kunimitsu. Fuji Syuusuke appears as a special guest.
1. Chapter 1

Oishi took a deep breath looking through the windows. He was at his office, using his computer and with some files on his desk. He had finished his shift a couple of hours ago, but he stayed on the hospital to update his patients' charts. It was Friday night and he was tired.

He was one of the pediatricians at the Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center. At the moment, besides his daily appointments, he had three little patients hospitalized.

Shuichirou looked at his cell phone. There were a lot of messages but none of them belong to the person he wanted to hear from the most and he felt so disheartened. How long has it been again since they saw each other? Two, three weeks? Time never worked properly on those days apart, it was always a blur on his mind.

"Fuji is probably in town." He said to himself, sadly.

There was a brief knock at his door, before it opened. There was a beautiful young woman with a smile. She had dark skin, golden eyes and long purple hair tight on a ponytail.

"Takumi said he prepared curry and you should eat with us. I'm about to leave."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Haruka. I still have much to do, so…"

She came close and caressed his short black hair, looking at the green eyes.

"You look tired. You didn't even eat properly today on lunch."

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I'm fine. I will eat something on the cafeteria on my way out."

She placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Do not be here until late." She looked at him gently. "This hospital can't be your home, Shuichirou."

"I know, I know." He smiled. "Tell Takumi I'm really sorry for missing his amazing curry, but, it's good for you guys not having someone on the way, right? It's his last weekend on land. How long is he going away for this time?"

"Two months." She sighed. "To look at some fish."

He chuckled at her complain.

"Who knew having a marine biologist as a fiancé would be so troublesome?" she shrugged with a smile.

"You two have fun." He said, gently.

"Text me when you arrive home, okay? See you."

"Okay. Good night."

He watched when she left the room and he looked at his cell phone again. Nothing.

The young doctor stretched himself on his chair, before returning his attention to work.

##########

The teenager walked down the street with his arms around his stomach. He was carrying an yellow backpack. He had dark blue eyes and fluffy red hair. His stomach growled loudly and it was so painful.

"I'm starving…" his entire body was heavy and it was difficult to take steps. He felt so stupid and irresponsible. It was his second day in Tokyo and things had already gone terribly wrong. "They're going to be so disappointed with me."

His stomach growled again and he leaned on a wall near when he became dizzy.

"I need to find a shelter or something."

But how could he do it? He had no cell phone to check on maps and it was his first time on that huge city!

The boy didn't even realize he was in front of the Children's Hospital at the exact time Shuichirou was finally leaving. The doctor had a small smile on his face, looking at his cell phone screen. The message he was waiting for so long had finally arrived. He didn't eve notice the wobbling teenager passing by his side, until the sound of him falling on the sidewalk called his attention.

Oishi ran to him and shook the boy's shoulders gently.

"Hey, hey!"

His voice called the attention of one of the staff inside.

"He needs help! Bring me a gurney, now!"

#############

Eiji opened his eyes slowly when the unknown masculine voice reached him. There was a tall guy by the door, talking on the cell phone.

"I'm sorry, Tezuka. I need to stay here until he wakes up. We couldn't find any information about him, so…"

He looked around and recognized he was in a hospital room. Looking at his arm, he had an IV on his hand. He sat down quickly and the movement was too much. He complained and put his hand on his head, trying to deal with the headache.

"Ah!" Shuichirou looked at him. "I need to go, talk to you later." He put the cell phone on his pocket and rushed to the teenager's side and gently made him lay on the bed again. "Hey, take it easy. You're too weak, don't make sudden moves."

"Where am I?!"

"At Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center. This is a special room for emergencies." He smiled gently. "I'm Oishi Shuichirou, a doctor here. You passed out by the entrance."

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry for the trouble!"

"No trouble at all." Oishi picked up a chair near and sat by his bed's side. "What's your name?"

"Eiji. Kikumaru Eiji."

"Nice to meet you, Eiji-kun." His green eyes were so kind. "We couldn't find any contact number with you. Could you tell me what happened?"

"I was robbed last night." He lowered his head, the red bangs in front of his eyes. "The guy took my wallet, all my money for the month was inside. I couldn't eat since then."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Do you leave nearby? I can take you home or call your parents if…"

"No, please!" he looked at him nervously. "They can't know what happened!"

"Eiji-kun… did you run away from home?"

"What?! No way! I came from Osaka! I'm a freshman on Hattori Nutritional College, I just arrived here. But, since I lost all my documents as well, I had to spend a long time on the police station solving things. I also lost the deposit for the place I was going to live so I'm homeless too." He looked down again, feeling ashamed. "Masa-nii and Chiho-nee really worked hard for me to come here, so… I can't disappoint them and let them know I screw up just after leaving home."

"I see." He felt so sorry for him. "Did you already get your certificate of loss with the police?"

"Yes. I was looking for a part time job so I can at least have something to eat, but since I was starving, my face was scaring people." He smiled sadly to himself.

"Are you really good at cooking?" he asked seriously.

"I am." Eiji looked at him seriously. "I came to Tokyo to become a chef."

"When do your classes start?"

"On Monday."

"What kind of part time job are you looking for?"

"One that pays the bills and don't let me starve again." He finally smiled.

"I have a job for you. Part time with housing included. What do you think?"

"Really?!" he was excited. "I want it"

##########

Eiji looked around confused. They were inside a big apartment with a nice decoration. "Where are we?"

"This is my place." He smiled, gently, removing his jacket and losing his necktie. It was morning and he stayed with Kikumaru on the hospital during the night, just to be sure the boy would be all right after the IV. He was finally able to eat a warm and proper meal and Oishi was happy he was feeling better.

"What?! But you said it was a part time job!" he was very surprised.

"Are you not interested anymore?" he was a little disappointed. "It's a two bedroom place so you can have your own room. There's a washing machine that's also a dryer. I bought this place two years ago but it never felt like a real home, I hate to be alone. Amy friend is always complaining I don't eat properly, since I'm always at work eating bentos." He smiled and opened the fridge. There was only water and some juice boxes.

"You have no food!"

"Can you help me with that?" he smiled. Picking up a spare key from his keychain, he put it on Kikumaru's hand. "Here. You can come and go as you please. I usually work until late, but I will do my best to be home and eat your food."

"But…" he was so confused.

"And this is yours as well." He picked up a card from his pocket and gave it to him. "I put money on it. I took a look on the wages for part time jobs and there is 300.00 yen on it. Is it correct for a month?"

"What?! It's too much, Oishi-san! You don't give people so much money in advance!"

"Can you buy some food with it? There is a small market on the corner. I had no idea on how much it would cost for two people nowadays, but you can bring me the receipt and I will give it back to you." He put his hand in front of his mouth to hide a yawn. "I'm so tired; I'm going to take a bath and sleep. Is there anything you need to know?"

"Oishi-san…" his voice was serious but hesitant. "Why are you doing this? Bringing a complete stranger to your home, helping me so much?"

Shuichirou smiled and his hand was on the red hair.

"You're a good kid, Eiji-kun. The fact that you didn't want to worry the people responsible for you and was willing to starve to death because of it, showed me that."

"Oishi-san…" he was so touched.

"You need a place to stay so you can start your college properly and I need someone to take care of food. It's a good deal for both of us, don't you think?"

"I promise that when I have the right amount of money, I will find a place to myself." He made a reverence. " And I will not be a hassle to you!"

"It sounds good. Until then, let's get along, all right?" Oshi smiled and Eiji grinned happily at him.

"Yes!"

############

**Author's note: it's the second time I try to write about the Golden Pair, since I always found them absolutely adorable. I was very sad with the lack of reviews on my fics before, so I hope the readers can take their time to leave some words of encouragement and share their thoughts about this one. **


	2. Chapter 2

_Shuichirou watched while Kunimitsu was finishing dressing himself. They were in a fancy hotel room that Tezuka always booked to their encounters. The green eyes were on the long and beautiful hands while he buttoned his white long sleeved shirt that Oishi had removed eagerly before, between deep and desperate kisses. His dark brown pants were already back on his tall and lean body and his dark eyes were on the night sky._

_"Are you leaving already?" Shuichirou asked shyly._

_"Did I wake you?" He looked at him. His deep voice was always so calm. "Syuusuke just sent me a message, he arrived home, so…"_

_"I understand." He showed him a small smile but Tezuka noticed the disappointment on his handsome face. He sat down on the bed and looked at him._

_"I'm sorry. I'm always dragging you to this thing between the two of us and…"_

_Oishi leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his mouth._

_"Do not apologize. I'm here because I want to."_

_"The room is paid for already so…" he stood up._

_"I can stay and enjoy myself until morning. I know the drill." He smiled. "Go home safely."_

_"Thank you." He took a last look at Shuichirou before putting his jacket on and silently leaving the place._

_The young doctor laid on the messy sheets again and took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling. How many times did he looked at that ceiling, left alone on that bed, after surrounding his body to Kunimitsu?_

_They were friends on school and Oishi fell in love. He kept that one-sided affection for a long time, while watching Tezuka and Fuji together. But then, graduation came, university came and he found Kunimitsu drinking in some random bar some night. He had argued with Syuusuke. Both of them were intoxicated, Tezuka was frustrated and Suichirou was lonely._

_Even after all those years, he still didn't remember how they reached his small student apartment. But Oishi remembered clearly that Tezuka was the one who kissed him first and pushed his body to the wall as soon as they were inside, his hand possessively around his hardness._

_It was Oishi's first time with a man and it felt like his body didn't belong to himself anymore. Kunimitsu's skin was setting his on fire every time he moved. His grasp was forceful, possessive and desperate. Shuichirou asked himself if he embraced Fuji like that as well._

_The morning came heavy with guilt and hangover and it was also the first time he was left completely alone on bed. It took Tezuka a whole week to talk to him again, apologizing and explaining his rocky relationship with Syuusuke. But, it was too late already. Shuichirou had lost so much on the moment their mouths touched. His heart was chained to Kunimitsu and he would gladly let himself be used and hurt by him every time things with Syuusuke were a little hard._

#######

Oishi woke up and sat down on his bed. He looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table and it was past 19'o clock already. He had slept for the whole afternoon. The smell of delicious food reached his room and he stood up, opening the door and going to the kitchen. He was wearing dark blue pajama pants and a white t-shirt when he got close to the kitchen balcony and looked at Eiji. The teenager was by the stove, grilling some meat. Rice and steamed vegetables were already done.

"It smells great."

"Ah!" Kikumaru turned around quickly. "I'm sorry, Oishi-san! Did I wake you?"

"Not at all, the food smell did. I'm starving." He smiled to him, trying to put him at ease.

"I went to the market and bought some things. I wanted your opinion for dinner, but you were sleeping like a rock." He finished grilling the meat and put it on a plate to him. "I hope you like it."

"Thank you for the food." He said, picking up some hashi close.

Eiji kept looking at him with an anxious expression while he ate. Oishi stopped eating and smiled at him.

"This is great, Eiji-kun." He smiled happily.

"Really?!" he was so relieved.

"Yes! Come, sit and eat with me."

"Thank you." He obeyed and started to eat as well. They ate silently for a while before Shuichirou talked to him again.

"So, tell me more about you. You said you were from Osaka, right?"

"I was born in Tokyo, but when I was five, my mother I was five my mother left me on an orphanate there." The doctor noticed the sadness on his voice when he looked at his food. "I can't even remember her face."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." He looked at him again and he showed a small smile. "I met Masa-nii and Chiyo-nee-chan there. They were already 15. They took care of me, but when they were 18, they had to leave the place. They promised they would come back for me and they truly did. They got married on their 20's so they could adopt me for good. They opened a small udon shop and I always helped there. When Chiho-nee got pregnant I told them I would stay to help out, but they encouraged me to come to Tokyo." he smiled. "She's 8 months along now."

"It sounds like a good home."

"It's the best." His smile was wider. "I'm very lucky to have them. They worked so much so I could have a proper life and I'm not even related to them by blood."

"Blood is not the most important thing, Eiji-kun." He said, gently. "I've been working with families for a long time to learn that."

"Why did you become a doctor, Oishi-san?"

"I wanted to help people. And I always liked children."

"Do you want to have children of your own someday?"

"It would be nice but I think I lost my chance of that."

"What do you mean?" he was confused.

"Don't worry about it." Oishi stood up and messed his red hair a little. "I will take care of the dishes. Why don't you go take a shower? You can also use the bathtub if you like. Did you already talk to your folks? Call them to let them know everything is all right with you, they must be worried. You can use my phone."

"Ah, sure. Thank you." He noticed the doctor wanted to end the conversation over that subject. Before going to the bathroom, he looked at Oishi humming while washing the plates wondering why the green eyes were so sad before.


	3. Chapter 3

_Haruka's golden eyes blinked twice and she had a surprised expression on her beautiful face. Her long purple hair moved with the summer wind at the same time that Shuichirou's dark bangs also waved. The green eyes were serious and there was a slight blush all over his cheeks._

_They were friends since their freshmen years. Kono Haruka wanted to be a Pshycologist and they had some classes together. She introduced him to Harada Takumi, a childhood friend that was also studying there to be a marine biologist. The three of them got along great until Shuichirou noticed his feelings for her had changed. It took him a long time to sort things out, especially around his affair with Kunimitsu that still continued._

_He finally gathered some courage. They were in one of the university's gardens and classes had ended already. Oishi had sent her a message, asking her to meet him there, since he had something very serious to discuss. But, she could never imagine it would be a confession. His "I like you" came rushed and trembling from his mouth and she was still processing things._

_"Haruka-san?" he asked, after the long silence between them._

_"Ah, I'm sorry, it just… I didn't expect this at all!"_

_"Are you mad at me?" he was nervous. "Is it a hassle to you?"_

_"Not at all! It's just… are you sure? What about Tezuka-san? Don't you have feelings for him?"_

_Kunimitsu would come as a topic of their conversations from time to time. Haruka was the one who would comfort him every time he felt ashamed after being with Tezuka or feeling neglected for his absence. She never judged him, but she really worried about her kind and gentle friend being sucked inside such a fruitless relationship._

_"Feelings can change." He held her hand gently and came a little closer. "Mine changed already. Even before talking to you, I talked to Kunimitsu about it. There's nothing between us anymore." The green eyes were so sincere. "I told him there was someone else I liked."_

_"Are you trying to forget him using me?" she asked shyly._

_"No, not at all! I would never do that."_

_"I see." She smiled and her arms were around his shoulders. Haruka looked deeply at him. Shuichirou was extremely handsome, polite and kind. She had watched many girls infatuated with him on those last years and she understood the attraction. Haruka never had a steady boyfriend and, if she was going to do it, he was the perfect guy for the job. "If you really want to do this, I'm up for it, Shuichirou."_

_"Haruka-san…"_

_"Drop the honorific." She whispered. Shuichirou's heart raced when she accepted his proposal, officializing things with her lips against his own._

_###########_

_"Shuichirou?" Haruka's voice was so sweet. Her face was on his naked chest and the warmth of their bodies was intertwined. They were on her apartment, their clothes scattered on the bedroom's floor. They were already together for six months and things between them were great._

_Since their first time he was amazed to realize how her voice and sighs during sex allured him. His hands were filled by her round breasts and he felt so proud when she cried out his name in raw pleasure, holding him tight while her whole body trembled with his ministrations._

_Her soft palm was caressing his chest, while the snow was falling outside. It was just a comfortable silence and Shuichirou was about to fall asleep when Haruka hugged him tightly._

_"Yes?"_

_"When we started this, I had no romantic aspirations about it. I think people should be together while they desire and care for each other."_

_She looked straight at him._

_"If you ever stop liking me as a woman, please, just tell me, okay?"_

_"Why are you saying such a thing?" he was a little sad._

_"Because being in love with you it's not something I want to regret. So, please, even if it's not meant to be for us, just… don't break my heart."_

_He kissed her deeply and seriously. His thumb brushed her cheek and Shuichirou looked deep inside the golden eyes._

_"I will never hurt you. I promise."_

_############_

_Shuichirou's tears were falling silently together with the cold water running down his hair. It was a stormy night and he went to Haruka's place under the heavy water. Since he always told her in advance when he was stopping by, it really surprised her, especially when seeing him with drenched clothes and a guilty expression._

_She kindly cupped his face and asked what was wrong. They were dating for almost 2 years now and already making plans for living together after graduation._

_But then, Tezuka's name was whispered by Oishi's mouth and Haruka didn't need any more details to understand what had happened._

_She was leaning on the living room wall and put her arms around her thin body, trying to deal with all that pain while Shuichirou told her about his affair._

_"Shut up!" she screamed, her long hair in front of her face._

_"Haruka…"_

_"You've promised." She finally looked at him, the tears rolling down her face. "You said you would never hurt me."_

_"Haruka… please, I…" he walked towards her and touched her hand, when she pushed him away violently, the golden eyes glistering with tears._

_"Don't touch me." Her disappointed voice broke his heart. "Get away of my home, I don't want to see you anymore."_

_"Haruka, I'm so sorry, please, I…"_

_"Get out, Shuichirou!" she went to the bedroom and slammed the door close. He banged on her door desperately._

_"Haruka, please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, please!"_

_Haruka laid on her bed, hugging the pillows and muffling her cries. She could actually feel while heart was being torn in two._

_#######_

_"Takumi!" Haruka screamed to her friend and grabbed his arm to stop him from hitting on Shuichirou's face again. They were on college. It was a good thing it was late at night and they were alone on the parking space, otherwise they would probably be expelled. A week had past since they broken up and Oishi was still trying to talk to her. Her friend knew what had happened and punched him with all his strength._

_Takumi was taller and stronger than Shuichirou and he was also on the judo club. He had dark brown hair touching his shoulders and scarlet eyes that were always very gentle, but were completely changed by anger._

_"Didn't you hurt her enough?!" he screamed at Oishi. "Leave her alone!"_

_"Takumi-san…"_

_He grabbed Shuichirou by his shirt and looked angrily at him._

_"I was really rooting for you guys! You told me you were thinking about marrying her! How could you?!"_

_"Takumi, please…" Haruka begged on the edge of tears. "Let him go. Don't hurt him."_

_Harada took a deep breath before obeying._

_"See? Even after what you've done, she still worries about you."_

_Shuichirou had no words. Takumi let go of him and turned around, looking at him with the corner of his eye._

_"Do not come near her again otherwise I will destroy your face." His voice was dead serious._

_He grabbed Haruka's hand and said "Let's go.", before they went to his car and left the place._

###########

"How could you take a stranger to your place?!" Haruka asked. It was Monday morning and Oishi went to her office to say hello and told her about Eiji.

"Actually, I hired him. He takes care of food." He smiled. "And Eiji-kun is harmless. He's such a nice kid and he worries about his family a lot. Today I drop him off at college before coming here. He's going to be a chef."

"And how long is he going to stay with you?"

"Until he can find a place to himself. It's a little hard now, since school has started everywhere, all the best rents for students are taken."

She took a deep breath, before looking at him seriously.

"I want to meet him. You're horrible judge of character."

"Why don't you come over tomorrow night? Eiji-un's food is amazing."

"It's a deal then."

"Great. I will talk to him about and…" his cellphone vibrate on his pocket and interrupted his sentence. He picked up, smiling at the screen.

"Is that Tezuka?" she asked with an annoyed face.

"Ah…" he was embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"I need to go to my rounds soon." She looked at her watch and he understood he was being dismissed.

"Have a good day." Shuichirou smiled. "I'll see you at lunch time."

"Yes." She showed him a small smile before he left.

It took a long time for things between them were in good terms again. A whole year had passed and Takumi and her had fallen in love. She felt stupid for taking so long to realize they belonged to each other. They moved in together and Shuichirou was the one who helped the biologist to choose an engagement ring for her a couple of weeks before he proposed.

But, for Haruka, the worst part of everything was how Kunimitsu continued to use his friend and taking advantage of Shuichirou's feelings.

"I hope he can get rid of this fruitless relationship soon." She whispered to herself, before, picking up her white coat from her chain and leaving the room as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Kunimitsu woke up with the feeling of the smaller body pressed on his naked back. He was at Fuji's apartment.

"Good morning." Kunimitsu turned around and caressed Fuji's light hair. He had always being a person of few words, but he was incredibly tender with his gestures towards Syuusuke.

"You broke me." He complained, hugging him. "I can't move."

"Stay in bed." He kissed his forehead. "I will go and prepare breakfast."

"Okay." He placed a small kiss on his chest before releasing him. Fuji observed while he dressed his black boxers. "Hey, Kunimitsu."

"Yes?" he looked at him after putting his glasses on.

"Could you make some coffee?"

"Right on." He said, before leaving the bedroom.

Syuusuke rolled on his back, taking a deep, satisfied breath.

He worked as an architect for one of Japan's top firms, so he was always traveling around. Even though they were together since high school, Fuji would often forget to answer his messages or phone calls and he had said no to Kunimitsu's request on moving in together many times before. Syuusuke also made clear that they had an open relationship even if Kunimitsu didn't agree on it.

On the day before he had called Kunimitsu after three weeks of absence, telling he would wait for him at his place. He had arranged an encounter with Shuichirou earlier in the morning, but the doctor had canceled because of a teenager that passed out in front of him.

When Kunimitsu arrived after work, there was a lot of takeout food and Fuji was fresh from the bath, using just some pajama pants. Syuusuke smiled at him, saying "Welcome" and Tezuka rushed to him, holding him tightly and kissing him hard with all the weight of his longing. They had sex on the sofa before going to his bed and continuing there until they were terribly tired. They didn't even remember about the food.

It took a while for Tezuka to return with a breakfast tray with scrambled eggs, rice, grilled fish and a cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Kunimitsu." He sat down on bed and started with the coffee. "Are you not eating?"

"I can't. I have an important meeting today. I still have to go home and change clothes." Tezuka was a corporative lawyer.

"Ah, I see."

"How long are you staying this time?"

"Three days." He smiled before drinking another sip.

"Is it okay if I come back in the evening?"

"I'm sorry, but I'd really like to spend some time by myself. I'm exhausted. There are also a lot of things I need to arrange before traveling again."

"All right." He stood up and went to the bathroom. "Let me know when you are free again."

Tezuka's head was down while the warm water was falling from his hair to his face, being obligated to hide his disappointment once more. How long would Syuusuke be gone this time? How long would take for them to see each other? There were so many questions he would like to ask, but, once again, he kept them lock and silenced and he felt extremely frustrated and childish for those feelings on his heart.

##########

"It feels so good." The beautiful young woman had a content smile on her face. She was sitting on a sofa, her hands over her pregnant belly. She had long dark green hair with gentle light green eyes.

"You shouldn't be standing so many hours." The handsome young man said. He had spiky dark blue hair with copper eyes. He was massaging his wife's feet.

"And who's going to help you with the store? I'm just pregnant, not sick. Since Eiji is gone now, you cannot afford being alone to deal with the food and the costumers. We're already not opening for business on the first two weeks after the birth." She smiled gently. "I will be okay, don't worry. I will help out until he or she decides to come out."

"Are you going to be strong headed like your mother?" he touched her belly and felt the baby kick.

Chiho giggled. Suddenly her cellphone, that was over a short table, started to ring.

"Oh, it's Eiji." Masayuki said.

"Give me, give me!" she asked, happily and picked up the phone quickly. "Eiji! How are you? Masayuki is here, I'm going to put on the speaker."

"Hello, Eiji, how are things on your first day at school?"

"Hi, you guys! The college is great! We had orientation today, the teachers showed us the building and I got my schedule for the classes. I enrolled in a desserts's course so I can make some things for the store." He was able to buy another cell phone with the money Oishi gave him and retrieve his old number.

"That's awesome! I want to eat your sweets!"

"How's your job? It's on a daily basis, right?"

"It's doing just fine. I'm going there in a bit." He had told them about getting a job with cooking but didn't specify the details. It was easier that way.

"Eiji, don't forget your and work properly, but sleep and eat well too, so you won't get sick."

"Yes, Nee-chan, don't worry."

"If anything happens, remember, we're just 8 hours away. And we can always take the train."

"No way! The bullet train is too expensive, Masa-nii! You need to save money for the baby, okay? Don't worry about me."

"What are you saying?!" Chiho complained. "You may be all grown up and a college student, but you will always be our first child! Of course we worry."

"She's right, kid." Masayuki's voice was always gentle. "We're always here for you."

"Thank you, you two. I have to go now. I will send messages regularly and call from time to time."

"Be well, Eiji." Chiho said before he hanged up. She took a deep breath and looked at the photograph of the three of them together on her cell phone screen. "I already miss him."

"I know." He came close and held his wife's hand, kissing her cheek. "I miss him too."

###########

"Dinner with your friend tomorrow?" Eiji was surprised when Oishi brought it up. They were having dinner together. Kikumaru prepared grilled fish, miso soup, sliced vegetables and rice.

"Ah, sorry, is that too soon?"

"Well, I was hoping to study after dinner this week."

"Sure. It was thoughtless of me, I'm sorry." He smiled gently. "I will talk to Haruka about it and we can reschedule."

"I can do it on the weekend, though. Is Saturday okay? I can buy fresh things on the market in the morning."

"It's settled then!"

"Do you have any requests about the food?"

"It's up to you, don't worry. Everything you did on these past days is wonderful, I already have total confidence in your skills."

"Thank you, Oishi-san." He smiled happily. "Hey, I noticed you don't take lunch to work. Would you like me to do an obento for you?"

"Really?!" the green eyes sparkled. "Wouldn't it be a problem for you?"

"Not at all." the blue eyes were gentle. "I have to make one for me anyway. Isn't it expensive to always eat out? You can really safe a lot of money eating homemade food. It's healthier too."

"Eiji-kun, you will be an excelent husband someday." he said, seriously.

"Eh?!" the teenager blushed and Shuichirou chuckled.

"It's embarrassing how do you know more about running a home than I do. I was supposed to be the adult here." he ate some salad before continuing. "But, I've always being spoiled. First by my parents and then by my girlfriend. Before we've broken up I never had to worry about food or budgets, eating out was the easiest option since I've always hated to eat home by myself."

"I see."

"Thank you for accepting this job and making such delicious food for me, Eiji-kun. I really appreciate it." he said kindly and Eiji smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ah!" Haruka picked Oishi's bento from his hand and looked at it with wide surprised eyes. It was a beautiful lunch, with rice, fluffy omelet, vegetables and grilled chicken. "So cute! Where did you get this?"

"Eiji-kun made it for me." He smiled.

"Really?" Haruka gave it back to him. They were on the cafeteria having lunch together on the same table. "When you told me a teenager was making your meals, I thought it was a regular thing. This looks like a wife's obento."

"Not at all." Oishi chuckled. "I told you he's on cooking school, right? He's very talented."

"Well, I think I will know for sure tonight, right?" she smiled, defiant.

"Ah, about that, I'm so sorry, Haruka, but we'll need to reschedule. Eiji-kun is studying every day this week."

"Is that so?"

"But he said on Saturday would be good. He can buy the ingredients early so we can have fresh food. What would you like to eat?"

"What's he good at?"

"Well, his folks have an udon shop back at Osaka, so he's more than ok with traditional food."

"I want to eat Italian." She said, seriously.

"Eh? Italian?"

"People outside their comfort zone are the most sincere ones." She smiled, before picking up one of his omelet with her hashi and eating it. "I want to see how stressed this kid may get."

Shuichirou chuckled at her preoccupation towards him, before starting to eat as well.

#######

"Welcome, Kono-san." Eiji smiled gently when seeing Haruka the first time. "I'm Kikumaru Eiji. It's really nice to meet you."

The boy was wearing a black apron and was by the stove. Without even looking, he flipped some cooked pasta inside the frying pan with a single hand and the golden eyes narrowed. She was already annoyed on how relaxed he seemed to be.

"Nice to meet you as well."

"Oishi-san said you wanted Italian food." He said sprinkling some oregano on the pasta. "I must tell you, it's not my specialty, but I'm trying hard."

"I'm sure it's going to be great, Eiji-kun." Shuichirou said, kindly. "It already smells very good, right, Haruka?"

"Yes." She said, without any expression, analyzing Eiji's happy face.

"I'm doing some pesto with grilled chicken. I also prepared salad. It will be ready in a while."

"We're going to set the table." Haruka said. She continued to watch Kikumaru while he cooked.

"Why is he so happy?" she whispered to Shuichirou.

"What do you mean?" he whispered back.

"A teenager happy about cooking to someone on a Saturday night, instead of doing his own things, what kind of suspicious behavior is that?"

"I told you he's a nice kid." Oishi smiled.

"Dinner is ready." Eiji said. "Can I bring out the food?"

"Sure, Eiji-kun." The doctor replied before they sat down, waiting for the teen.

"Here we go." He placed the beautiful dishes in front of them, before bringing a green salad with yogurt dressing. "I hope you guys like it."

Haruka looked at her plate. There was seasoned spaghetti with pesto sauce and small pieces of tender grilled chicken.

"Thank you for the food." She said, shyly, before starting to eat.

Kikumaru was anxiously looking at her, before she placed her hand in front of her mouth and blushed a little.

"What kind of wizard are you? This is fantastic."

"Really?!" he was so happy.

"I told you so." Shuichirou said, before starting to eat as well.

"I was really nervous about it. It was my first time cooking such a dish. I'm glad you liked it, Kono-san." He smiled at Oishi. "I'm going to put this recipe on my journal."

"Journal?"

"Eiji-kun keeps a notebook with the recipes he tries here."

"You're really committed." She ate some salad. "Shuichirou told me your parents own an udon shop back at Osaka. Are you going to inherit it? Is that why you're studying here?"

"I want to help out, that's all. Besides, since I'm adopted, their real child it's probably going to have it. It's what makes more sense."

"I didn't know you're adopted. I'm sorry if it's a sensitive topic." She was sincere.

"Ah, don't worry about!"

"Actually Eiji-kun is going to be a big brother soon." Shuichirou said, trying to shift the conversation topic.

"Is that so? A boy or a girl?"

"They decided they wanted to be surprised." He smiled.

"Were they all right with you living with Shuichirou?"

"Yes, they know I'm working for Oishi-san, I told them right away." It was not a lie, technically.

"So, what do you think about living with this guy so far? He's totally useless around the house. Actually, this is the first time food is cooked at this place. He used to live on take outs."

"I have no complaints about living with Oishi-san. He's very considerate towards me. I'm responsible for the food; we share the cleaning on weekends. He always tells me in advance if he's going to be late so I don't worry and I do the same when I'm at college." He said, gently.

"I asked Eiji to teach me how to cook some basic things when I have more free time."

"Really?" she was really surprise.

"Yes. It's about time, right? And it's a great opportunity, with such a great chef in the house."

"I'm not such a thing!" he said, shyly.

"It's going to be a challenge. Every time he tried to cook something at my place he would burn the pans."

"You two are very close, right? Oishi-san told me you met at college."

"Yes." She ate some more of the pasta before completing. "We dated for a couple of years."

The blue eyes were wide in surprise.

"Really?" he looked at Shuichirou. "Is she the girlfriend you talked about?"

"Yes." He said, with a kind smile. "But fortunately she found someone even better, right? Takumi's traveling at the moment but we can arrange something when he returns."

"Takumi?"

"My fiancé." She showed him her engagement ring.

"All of you… are friends?"

"Haruka's my best friend."

"But I always think Shuichirou likes Takumi more than me, because he's always feeding him."

Oishi chuckled at her joke.

#########

"So, what do you think?" Shuichirou asked Haruka. They were walking side by side on the street; he was taking her to the subway station near his place. "Less suspicious of him?"

She shrugged, not wanting to admit defeat.

"He's okay, so far. I just don't want anyone to give you problems." She lowered her face and the purple bangs were over her eyes. _You already have enough heartbreaks with Tezuka_, she completed on her mind. "If that kid brings you any kind of headache, just let me know."

"Thank you for always worrying about me, Haruka."

She looked at him before hugging his arm. Shuichirou touched her hand while they continued to walk together.

"You know, when we were friends again, I asked Takumi if it was weird."

"What did he say?"

"He said that would be very sad if two people who liked each other so much would be apart just because the relationship ended." She smiled to herself. "It's annoying how much mature he's sometimes, even being so silly."

Shuichirou kissed her forehead and looked at her gently.

"I'm very grateful for still having you in my life."

"You're stuck with me." She grinned. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Invite me over to have a meal soon. His food is really amazing!"

He chuckled.

"Of course."


	6. Chapter 6

Tezuka pushed Oishi's slight shorter body to bed, while kissing him hard. He removed the doctor's shirt slowly with his beautiful and long fingers.

Shuichirou's hands removed his dark shirt as well and Kunimitsu closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of his kisses on his neck and shoulders, his warm hands brushing on his naked chest, before reaching his belt and pants, opening them eagerly.

The green eyes looked at the dark ones shyly before Oishi's month was around him, his tongue pressing on his hardness, making him close his eyes and breathe deeply.

Kunimitsu would never speak on such moments. His communication towards the young doctor was made with signs and low groans to make him sure of his pleasure.

He touched Shuichirou's face, making him stop his ministrations, before kissing him again and being on top of him on the bed. Kunimitsu removed all of his clothes, before one finger started to tease him, making Shuichirou's body tremble. He was kissing him before another finger went inside while he picked up a condom on the bedside table with his free hand.

His hands were on the back of Oishi's thighs and he kissed the tense tendon on his neck when he slowly moved forward and filled him completely.

##############

Tezuka sat on the bed and put his glasses back. He quietly watched while Oishi was standing in front of the mini bar, drinking from a water bottle. It was almost 7 o'clock on that Saturday night and he had returned from the shower, having a white towel around his waist.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really. I had a late lunch today."

"I see." Oishi always tried to have a conversation after sex, since he was very bothered by the silence. "Is everything all right? You usually never call during weekends."

"I'm sorry." He was sincerely worried. "Did I bother you?"

"Not at all." He replied, gently. A month had passed by since they had last seen each other, after Tezuka canceled their last encounter.

Kunimitsu kissed him again, his hand almost pulling the towel.

"Are you still free?" he asked, whispering, his mouth on his chest.

"I…" Suddenly, Shuichirou's cell phone started to ring inside of the pocket on his shirt. "I'm sorry, I thought it was on silence mode."

"It's okay." He said, when Oishi left the bed, before picking up his cell phone. "Hi, Eiji-kun. Is everything okay?"

"Hello, Oishi-san. Sorry for bothering you, but, are you having dinner at home? You left and didn't say anything, so I prepared some food. Did something happen?"

"Not at all, I just needed to solve something. I'm sorry for giving you trouble. I'll be home in a while, you can start eating without me."

"I will wait for you, it's okay." Eiji said, with a smile.

"Fine, I'll see you soon." He looked at Tezuka and felt a little embarrassed and with the need to explain. "Eiji-kun is a college student that is living with me for the time being."

"Is he a relative of yours?"

"Not at all." He returned to sit on the bed. "He passed out in front of me on my way out of work. He had some circumstances and since he needed a job and a place to stay and I needed someone to take care of food, I hired him."

"You took a stranger to your home? It's dangerous."

"Eiji-kun is a great kid, he's harmless. He's from Osaka and he's studying to be a chef." He showed him a small smile. "I'm sorry, I need to leave now. He prepared dinner for me; I was in a hurry so I didn't tell him there was no need. He really puts an effort on his food."

"I'm sorry for calling you suddenly."

Shuichirou placed a kiss on his mouth and the green eyes looked at him gently.

"You can call anytime"

###############

"I'm home." Oishi said, entering his apartment. He took about half an hour to return.

Eiji was on the sofa, watching tv and smiled at him.

"Welcome home, Oishi-san." He stood up and went to the kitchen. "I will heat the food."

"I'm sorry for the trouble. Next time I will tell you in advance so you won't worry about food for me as well."

"No trouble at all. I'm here to do it." He smiled. "Did something urgent happen? Were you at the hospital?"

"You prepared tonkatsu!" he said, seeing the deep fried pork cuts next to rice and vegetables.

"I found them on sale yesterday when I was returning from school." He grinned happily, Kikumaru loved to find good discounts. "Do you want a hardboiled egg with yours?"

"Sure!"

Eiji looked at Shuichirou surprised for a moment. He noticed the doctor's hair was wet and he smelled like someone fresh from the shower. He blushed a little and lowered his face. He was probably on a date, right?! That would explain why he left in such a hurry. The teenager felt horrible with the possibility of interrupting him.

############

"This sauce is great, Eiji-kun!" he said, between bites. He had made a sweet mustard sauce instead of the traditional one.

"We use it on our store in Osaka. It's very popular."

"Are you going to Osaka to see your folks on summer vacation?"

"Not really. I need to put together some savings. But, I will probably go visit when the baby is born."

"Are you still tight on money?" he asked, concerned.

"Ah, not at all! It's just… I'm not going to be here forever, right? As soon as this first year at college ends and there are dorms available I will move out and I need to have some savings for that. Especially because I will never find another job with such good pay and conditions like this and I will probably have to find a couple of part times to support myself." He ate a piece of the crispy pork and Oishi noticed some sadness on the blue eyes.

"Eiji-kun, you don't need to quit just because you'll move away."

"Eh?!" he was surprise.

"I understand you want to have your own place, but you can continue to work for me." He smiled gently.

"Are you serious, Oishi-san?!"

"You have been doing such a good job, even Haruka loved your food. I have no reasons to fire you. I'm sure you will continue to prepare delicious food for me." The green eyes were kind. "As long as you want it too, of course."

"Yes! I want to!" Eiji smiled happily.

"It's settled then." He said, before continuing to eat and Kikumaru felt incredibly bless for all the help the young doctor was giving him.


	7. Chapter 7

"I prepared a lot of food, Oishi-san!" Eiji said, nervously, moving around the kitchen. He opened the fridge and the freezer and pointed to the containers inside. "If you hungry just put something on the microwave, okay?!"

"It's okay, Eiji-kun." He smiled gently, trying to put him at ease.

"I also cleaned the bathroom before you arrive so it wouldn't trouble you."

"You shouldn't worry about that." He was so stress. Just a couple of hours before he got a call from Osaka. Masayuki said Chiho already had the baby three days ago and they were at home so he could come and meet his little sister. Eiji left college in full speed.

He called Oishi on his way home and was able to cook and organize things in just a couple of hours before the doctor arrived on that Friday night. "You're only being away for the weekend, right?"

"What am I forgetting?!" He touched his pockets looking for the bullet train ticket and looked at them relieved. "I guess this is everything."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drop you by the station?"

"No, it's okay, thank you so much, Oishi-san. I'm sorry for the trouble of leaving so suddenly! I'm still in shock!"

"Hey, calm down." He came closer and touched the teenager's shoulder; the green eyes were so kind. "It's a happy occasion; you're going to meet your baby sister, right? You were busy with your tests, wasn't that the explanation they gave you? Now you can go with no worries."

"Still!" he complained before taking a deep breath. "I thought I was having a heart attack!"

Oishi chuckled.

"You're still too young for that. The ride takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, so send me a message when you get there, okay?"

"I will!" he picked up his backpack and looked at him seriously. "Send me a message if you need anything regarding food. Take good care of yourself."

"Don't worry." He messed up the fluffy red hair a little. "I won't put your kitchen on fire. Have a safe trip."

"I'm going!" he smiled happily before leaving the apartment.

############

Eiji stopped in front of his home. The trip to Osaka seemed everlasting. He didn't remember the last time the sign for Ono Udon was turned off. It was strange to see the small restaurant closed.

"Masa-nii?" he whispered. He had sent Masayuki a message as soon as he arrived at the station. He said Chiho and the baby were asleep and asked him to not be noisy when entering home.

The teenager obeyed and removed his sneakers carefully and slowly on the entrance door. He crossed the hallway and stopped before a small piece of furniture with a lot of framed pictures of their shared lives, since when they were kids on the orphanage, to the day they returned to pick him up and adopted him for good. There were also pictures of Eiji's graduation on middle school and high school. The last picture, the one that was on his cellphone too, was the one they took before he moved to Tokyo, Chiho still heavily pregnant. His memories were filled with those happy moments and he didn't notice when Masayuki appeared on the living room and smiled at him.

"Eiji!" he whispered, calling his attention.

"Masa-ni!" he whispered back.

He walked in quick steps and hugged his father tightly.

"How are you?" Masayuki asked, looking at his face. They continued to whisper.

"I'm alive, despite you guys wanting to give me a stroke!" he said, between theeth. "How could you tell me she was born like that?!"

"Don't complain at me! It was Chiho's idea! She was in pain, about to give birth, how could I disobey her?!"

"How's she?" he asked, concerned. "And the baby?"

"Come here, see it for yourself." He said, gently.

When Eiji arrived at their room, Chiho was asleep on their bed, the little girl by her side, sleeping soundly and peacefully as well. The dark blue eyes were wide and his heart skipped a beat.

He walked silently and kneeled next to the bed. The little girl had her mother's dark green hair and an extremely cute round face. She was wearing light blue overalls.

Eiji looked at Masayuki and grinned happily.

"She's perfect!" he whispered, in the midst of great big brother's pride.

Chiho opened her eyes and smiled, before touching his face and her thumb brushed his cheek.

"Eiji, welcome home."

"Chiho-nee…" he held her hand with both of his. "Are you okay? Was the labor hard?"

"It was the worst pain ever." She smiled. "I thought I would die. I really wanted to kill Masayuki."

Her son chuckled.

"But it was all worthy." She looked at the baby. Eiji released her hand and she placed it over her daughter's belly. "Isn't she cute? She got Masayuki's eyes."

"She's the cutest baby in the whole world!"

"Her name is Haruki. What do you think?"

"It's a great name, Masa-nii!"

Masayuki smiled and sat by his side.

"You can touch her, Eiji, it's okay."

"Can I?!"

"Of course, you're her big brother."

His eyes filled with tears with Chiho's words.

It took him a moment to caress the baby's soft hair and he smiled when she continued to sleep.

"Hello, Haru-chan." His voice was very sweet. "I'm Eiji, your big brother. We're going to have lots of fun and you're going to eat incredible udon here. I'm also going to cook delicious things for you. You know, you and I, we're lucky, very lucky, because our parents are amazing. They are the best parents ever and they are always going to take good care of you and you will be extremely loved, just like I am."

Masayuki looked at his wife and they shared a small smile, both of them feeling extremely touched by Eiji's words.

#################

Kunimitsu took a long sip of his sixth whisky cup. He was on a bar. It was Saturday night and he was feeling frustrated. Weeks had passed by without any word from Syuusuke. He would check his cell phone constantly to see if Fuji had remembered him, but it was all in vain. He was also horny, but since his last encounter with Oishi, he understood the doctor was not as available as before, so he thought it was for the best not call him on a weekend again.

He took another sip, before taking a deep breath. It always puzzled him why Oishi would spend time with him, would surrender his body to him. Shuichirou was always the kindest. His gestures, his words, his smile. Even though everything he could offer the young doctor was sex, he was always kind.

He looked around and noticed different people flirting to each other under the dim lights. He wished he was able to do the same, to forget Fuji and free himself from that painful feeling.

Kunimitsu took a big and final gup of his drink. He decided to go home, since he was starting to get dizzy, but when he stood up from the tall bench at the bar, his dark eyes were on the familiar face and the air on his lungs were stuck for a moment.

Fuji was there, smiling to an unknown taller guy. His back was leaning on a pillar and his hand was on the young man's chest.

His smile died immediately when he felt the strong pull on his arm and Tezuka deep frown on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, seriously. His expression was horrible, so the other guy just walked away.

"Oh, Kunimitsu." He smiled gently. "I didn't see you."

"When did you come back to the city? Why didn't you tell me?"

"For a week now. It was out of the blue." The blue eyes looked deep inside the dark ones. "Could you release me, please? I was talking to someone."

Tezuka obeyed and looked at him.

"We're done." He said, before turning around and leaving the place.

###########

Oishi picked up his phone and smiled. Since Eiji arrived at Osaka, he had sent him a lot of pictures of his sister. He just sent another one, with Haruki grabbing his finger with her tiny hand and the doctor thought it was absolutely adorable how in love the teenager was with the baby already.

He put his phone down for a moment before it vibrated again. He was sure it was another picture from Eiji, but it was actually a call and he picked it up extremely surprised.

"Tezuka?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home. Did something happen?" he noticed his voice was slow.

"Can I come over?"

"Ah…su…sure."

"Send me the location."

He ended the call and Oishi looked at his phone, not understanding what just happened.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm sorry for bothering you." Tezuka said, after Oishi invited him to enter his place. "Thank you for having me."

"Don't worry about it." He said, while he took off his shoes. When he was in front of Shuichirou, he noticed the smell of alcohol. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes." His voice was low. He looked around for a moment. "It's a nice place."

"Thank you. My friend helped me decorated it when I bought it." The young doctor was so awkward and nervous. It was the first time Tezuka was at his home. "Would you like some water?"

Kunimitsu touched Shuichirou's face, surprising him.

"Are you alone?" he whispered.

"I… I am. Eiji-kun's visiting his family, he's coming back on Monday."

"I see." He kissed his neck and his hand caressed his chest. Oishi noticed his balance was a little off and looked at him with a small smile.

"Let's go to my room."

###########

Kunimitsu was wearing only his dark blue boxers and Shuichirou was still with his pajama pants while they kissed on the doctor's wide bed. Oishi couldn't relax properly, the smell of alcohol from Tezuka's breath filling his mind completely. The last time he was intoxicated like that was also the first time they slept together so many years ago.

Kunimitsu's hand slid inside Oishi's pants and touched his hardness, making him moan on his mouth. He stayed there for a moment, while their tongues touched each other, caressing him inside his hand, massaging him entirely. Shuichirou could sense his erection as well, pressing on his body.

"Condom?" he asked between kisses.

"Ah, I'm sorry." He said, gently, and he noticed the doctor was a little embarrassed. "I don't keep those at home."

"Is that so?" he stopped and sat down, not knowing what to do.

Oishi placed a soft kiss on his mouth, before his hand touched him. He could feel the throbbing inside his underwear.

"Don't worry. I will take care of it." He whispered on his jaw line.

Shuichirou undressed him completely and his mouth was around him. Tezuka closed his eyes and his hand gently caressed the black hair. He took a deep breath, trying to deal with that incredible sensation.

He looked at Shuichirou and how, even when he was the one imposition and coming uninvited, he was welcome with a smile. He felt horrible for, once again, only coming to him out of frustration and for feeling useless towards Fuji. He deserved so much more than that.

Touching Oishi's chin, he made him stop and brought his face to a small kiss.

"What's wrong? Was it bad?"

"Not at all." The dark eyes were kind.

"Did something happen?" he touched his face and investigated his sad expression. "You can tell me."

There was a very subtle smile and he leaned his forehead on Shuichirou's shoulder.

"I just got tired. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He caressed his brown hair. "You can spend the night if you want it. Rest a little here."

"_He's always so gentle._" The young doctor was a little surprised when Kunimitsu hugged him. "Thank you."

###########

Haruka was walking towards a bakery on her neighborhood. Oishi told her about Eiji trip to Osaka and she was going to buy some nice breakfast food to surprise her friend.

Her cell phone started to ring and she smiled before picking it up. It was Takumi.

"Hello, Aquaman. How are things in Atlantis?"

Her joke made him laugh.

"Sunny and wet! We already made our first rounds with the boat to see our sharks."

"So early?!" she looked at the time. "It's only 9:30!"

"Researchers have an early morning! How about you? Any big plans for today?"

"Shuichirou is home alone. Eiji-kun went to Osaka to see his family, so I'm going there to take some breakfast to him. You know he hates eating alone."

"Ah, nice!"

"Hey, Takumi…" he noticed her voice was a little shy.

"What is it?"

"I miss you." She looked at her engagement ring.

"I miss you too, Haru. I will be back soon and I already talked to my supervisors about staying only in the office for a while. I want to be with you. We need to discuss about our wedding, right? Don't worry, I didn't forget about it."

Her chest was warmed by his words.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Talk to you later, okay? Say hello to Shuichirou for me."

"Okay. Take care of yourself." She said, before turning off.

############

Kunimitsu woke up slowly. He was alone in bed. Between long hours at work and his problems and crazy schedules with Syuusuke, he realized it was the first time in a couple of months he was able to sleep properly and peacefully.

He took a deep breath, remembering last night. It finished, right? And he was the one who did it. He would never imagine that he would have the courage to end things with Syuusuke. He always thought that, someday, Fuji would just disappear completely and forget about him, leaving him to deal with the heartbreak all alone.

He sat down and put his glasses back on his face. They were on the bedside table together with his clothes that were washed and neatly folded. The smell of food reached him and he stood up before starting to get dress.

When he arrived at the living room, Oishi was on the kitchen, finishing frying a couple of sunny side up eggs and placing them careffuly on the plates. There were also a big toast with jam and some chopped fruit.

"Good morning." Tezuka's deep voice surprised him and he turn around.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Shuichirou asked with a smile.

"Yes, thank you for letting me stay."

"Don't mention it." He picked up the plates. "Breakfast?"

"Hm." He said when he walked to the table and placed the meals there.

"I'm sorry I cannot do some fancy breakfast."

"It looks good." He said sincerely. He sat down across from Oishi. "Thank you for the food."

Shuichirou waited for him to start eating.

"It's good too." He said, after eating a piece of the egg and a bite from the toast.

"I'm glad." He smiled, before starting to eat as well.

They ate silently for a while.

"Thank you for washing my clothes."

"Don't mention it. But, they had a strong smell of alcohol on them. You were drinking yesterday right?"

"Yes."

"Did something happen?" He knew Tezuka was not a regular drinker and would only get that intoxicated when something serious was bothering him.

"I ended things with Syuusuke." He said before taking a bite of the toast.

Shuichirou couldn't hide his absolute shock on hearing that in such a calm and normal tone.

"What? But…"

"It's okay." He looked at him. "I'm okay."

"Really?" he was worried.

"Yes."

"That's good, then." He showed him a small smile, but the green eyes were sad. "Are you ending things with me as well?"

Kunimitsu was the one surprised this time, but before he could answer, they heard the sound of the doorbell.

"Are you expecting someone? I'm sorry I'm disturbing you."

"Not at all." He got up with a smile, wanting to put him at ease. Did Eiji decided to return earlier? But he left with his key. When Shuichirou opened the door, Haruka was there, with a smile and carrying a small box.

"Good morning! I bought some fluffy pancakes! With syrup as well. Let's have breakfast?"

"Haruka!" he was really surprised and closed the door with them on the hallway. He knew it was going to be terrible if she met Kunimitsu. "You surprised me! You shouldn't trouble yourself."

"No trouble at all." She examined his expression. "Is everything okay? You look funny. Why are we here at the hallway?"

"Ah, well…." He blushed. "I… I have company, so…"

"Eh?!" she smiled happily. "Really?! You got yourself a date?! And brought him to your home? Or her? Well, things must be serious then! Let me introduce myself!"

"No, please!" he was in front of her. "We're just talking, so…"

"I see. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She placed the pancakes on his hand. "Here, enjoy yourself. I'm so happy for you! It was about time." She whispered. "Tell me everything later, right? Goodbye!"

"Bye." he said, watching her leave.

He took a deep, relieved breath when entering his home again and he felt compelled to explain.

"It was just a friend. She thought I was in need of breakfast and brought pancakes. Would you like some?"

"You have good friends.' He said, before Oishi returned to the table.

"I sure do." He smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

Oishi was sitting, watching at Tezuka doing the breakfast dishes. He had insisted and it was like the young doctor was witnessing something magical and he was completely silent, only with the sound of the running water echoing on the apartment. He never imagined Kunimitsu like a regular person, doing regular chores.

"Are you enjoying living with someone else?" he finally spoke again and Shuichirou was a little surprised.

"Ah, yes!" he smiled. "Eiji-kun is very easy going. It's fun to live with him. Even though he will be back soon, the house already feels empty without him."

"Is that so?" he started to dry the plates with the towel and put them on the dish rack. "Is he staying with you for all the college years?"

"He's moving out as soon as he finds another place. He was robbed when he arrived at Tokyo and lost the housing on the college building."

"I see."

"But I told him he could still work for me. He's doing a great job with the food." He smiled to himself. "And I got used to not be alone at this place."

"About what you asked earlier…" he turned around and looked at him seriously. "I don't want to end things with you. In fact, I want to know if you want to meet steadily from now on."

"Eh?!" Kunimitsu got close and picked up a chair, sitting in front of him.

"I know things between us are… complicated and I'm sorry for troubling you and being selfish."

"Tezuka…" he had no words.

"What do you think?"

"It sounds good." He showed him a small smile.

"Okay, then." He stood up. "I think it's time for me to go, thank you for everything, I…"

Oishi held his hand gently.

"Can you spend the day? Eiji-kun left some delicious food for lunch. You won't have to put up with my lack of skills."

It was the first time he was invited like that. Most of the times, with Fuji, it was only about sex. In the middle of their crazy schedules he couldn't remember the last time they shared a proper meal, except from the times he was the one preparing the food, so he felt a little happy with the invitation.

"I can spend the day." He whispered, before kissing him.

############

"Nabeyaki Udon ready!" Eiji said, with a smile, before putting the plate on the balcony, in front of the customer. He was wearing his old dark blue uniform and his red hair was covered with a small hat.

It was already Sunday night and he convinced Masayuki to open the shop on those days he was there, so they could have some money. With the baby, he knew the bills would get a little higher and they couldn't afford being closed, especially on weekends. The restaurant was full with their regular clients that were happy the restaurant was opened.

Masayuki was at the stove with the noodles and Eiji was preparing the dishes according to the clients' requests.

"Eiji-kun, is so good to see you again!" one older man said with a smile.

"Isn't he a good boy, coming to help his parents?" another man said.

"I wish I could spend more days." Eiji answered, sincerely.

"Ono-san, how are you guys coping with the newborn?" a middle age woman asked gently.

"She's a very calm baby." He smiled. "Only waking up for food or a change of diapers."

"Eiji-kun, are you liking to be a big brother?" a middle aged man asked.

"Yes!" he grinned happily. "Haruki is the cutest baby in the whole world!"

###############

Oishi looked at Tezuka with semi-opened eyes. They were both searching for air, naked on the doctor's bed. After lunch time, he went to the convenience store near his place and bought a box of condoms.

He was extremely embarrassed when he returned home and it took him a while to let Tezuka know they could have sex. Apart from the longing from so many weeks without seeing him, Shuichirou needed to know it was real, that he was actually there with him. It was entirely new, having him on his bed, after hearing the words he wished for so long.

Tezuka touch caressed the messy and sweaty bangs of the black hair and the green eyes looked at him.

"What would you like from me?" he asked between long breaths.

"What do you mean?"

"I've never been with anyone properly before, so I don't know what is to be expected."

Shuichirou sat down, surprised.

"Ah… well… I think it's not something very complicated. We'll see each other when we have free time and want each other's company. We can also go out to have a meal or do something nice." He said, gently.

"Is that so?" He sat down as well.

"Can we meet at your place? Because it would be a little awkward to do this kind of thing with Eiji-kun around." There was a slight blush over his cheeks.

"We can always go to the hotel."

"I don't want it." He said, seriously, lowering his face. "It just… represents something I don't want to do again."

Shuichirou was sure that Tezuka would find him childish, but he touched his hand and looked at him kindly.

"I understand." It really surprised Oishi. "I'm sorry for mention it."

"Don't apologize." He showed him a small smile, happy for his comprehension.

Kunimitsu placed a kiss on his mouth. He looked at an alarm clock near and it was almost 9 o´clock.

"I really have to go now."

"Okay."

"Can I take a shower?"

"Yes. There are clean towels in the bathroom."

"Thank you." He said, before leaving the bed.

###########

Masayuki was holding their baby, asleep on his chest. It was Monday morning and they were on the entrance of their home. Chiho was hugging Eiji tightly.

"Thank you so much for coming to visit." She cupped his face and looked at the blue eyes. "I'm sorry we surprised you."

"That's okay." He smiled. "When I saw you guys are well and healthy, my heart was beating normally again."

"Thank you so much for the help, Eiji." His father said, gently.

"I wish I could stay longer." He said, sincerely.

"Go back to Tokyo and study hard, right? We can see each other on summer vacation."

"Ah… I have something for you guys." He took an envelope from his pocket and showed it to them.

"What's it, Eiji?" she was surprised.

"It's a part of my earnings on my part time job. I want you to have it, since me being gone is being a hassle on the shop, so…"

Chiho had an upset expression before flicking his forehead.

"Ouch! Why did you do that?!" Kikumaru touched his forehead.

"What do you think we are?" she crossed her arms. "There's no way we will accept your money! Right, Masayuki?" she looked at her husband and he smiled.

"That's right."

"But!"

"Eiji, this money is yours and yours only. It's something you obtain with your own effort." She smiled at him. "I know we don't look very reliable sometimes, but, we would never have a baby without some financial stability to take care of you both. We're not rich, but we have enough to support our family." She caressed his red hair. "I'm very grateful for you always worrying about us, but we're okay."

"Chiho-nee…" she hugged him again.

"You're the best son ever and we're so proud of you."

"Hm." He hugged her back tightly.

"Hey, Eiji, you should go now. Otherwise you won't arrive in time for your class."

"Yes, Masa-nii." He smiled and came close, caressing Haruki's hair. "Bye bye, Haru-chan. Be a good girl. We'll see each other soon, right?"

"Don't forget to call when you arrive at Tokyo." he said when his son hugged his torso as well.

"Yes!" he smiled at his parents before leaving.


	10. Chapter 10

"Ah, I'm beat." Haruka complained, sitting on Shuichirou's chair on his office. He was washing his hands after his last patient and smiled at her.

"I got a lot of patients today as well." He removed his white coat and fixed his tie. "Can't wait to go home."

"Eiji-kun is already in Tokyo, right?"

"Yes. He returned in the morning, we're meeting for dinner."

"Are you telling him about your mysterious date?" she teased him. "I waited all day for you to tell me about your guest."

Oishi was tense and smiled, trying to disguise it.

"Ah, well…."

"Tell me! I told you, I'm happy for you. It was about time you distance yourself from Tezuka-san."

He took a deep breath, feeling already terribly guilty for the words he was about to say.

"It was Tezuka." He said, seriously and Haruka's smile died.

"What?" the golden eyes were filled with shock.

"He came to my place on Saturday and said he ended things with Fuji-san for good. He said that he wanted to date me steadily." He sat across from her and smiled gently, but she only lowered her face, the purple bangs in front of her eyes.

"Are you serious? After everything he had done to you, after all the sadness, are you really going to be with him?"

"Haruka…"

"Why can't you see?" she looked at him again. "He only looked for you when he was having problems in his other relationship, so he's clearly someone who can deal with it and prefers to cheat. He's just using you again!"

"It's not like that." He said, patiently. "It's different this time, I…"

"I will not support this." She stood up and looked at him angrily. "I will not stay and watch he breaks your heart again. Because he will."

"Haruka!" she didn't even look at him before leaving his office and Oishi felt incredibly sad.

#############

Eiji was finishing grilling some salmon pieces when he heard the door open and close. He had a happy smile on his face when he appeared on the living room.

"Oishi-san, welcome home!"

"Hello, Eiji-kun." Shuichirou looked at him and the teenager noticed the sadness on his expression, even though he tried to hide it with a small smile.

"Oishi-san, are you okay?"

"I'm just fine." He touched his hair and messed it a little, after removing his jacket and tie. "It smells good."

"I'm preparing some grilled salmon, is that okay?"

"It's great, thank you. I'll take a shower first. Be right back."

#########

Kikumaru watched while Oishi was eating. He was slowly picking up pieces of the fish and the steamed vegetables with the same excitement of someone eating wet paper. The doctor was always so happy and chatty during their meals, Eiji was really worried.

"Oishi-san, is the food bad? You don't have to force yourself to eat it. I can cook something else." His worried voice finally called his attention and Shuichirou looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Eiji-kun. Don't worry, everything is delicious, as always." He tried to force another smile. "I'm just tired, it was a long day today."

"Are you upset with me?" he lowered his face.

"Not at all." He noticed the blue eyes were sad and went to sit by his side. "Actually, I'm happy you're home. This place isn't the same without you."

"Really?" he looked at him hopeful and Oishi noticed he looked like a little puppy sometimes.

"Yes." He finally smiled sincerely at him.

"What did you do while I was away? Did you eat the food I left you with Kono-san? I saw a pair of dishes on the dish rack."

He knew he needed to have that conversation with Eiji, but it didn't imagine it would be so soon.

"You know, Eiji-kun, I have something to tell you. I'm dating someone."

"Really?"

"Yes. We've been together for a while now, but things got serious lately, so, sometimes I won't be home."

"Are you happy, Oishi-san?" he asked kindly.

"Yes."

"That's good, then." He smiled. "You're an amazing person and deserves to be happy."

His words were extremely gentle and it hurt Shuichirou's heart. He remembered Haruka's words and the disappointed look on her face. He also remembered her tears when he cheated on her and he felt incredibly guilty. He also had helped Tezuka cheat on Fuji many, many times. He was far from being an amazing person. Did he really deserve to be happy after everything he had done?

Oishi hugged Eiji tightly, wanting to comfort himself and the boy was surprised.

"Oishi-san?"

"Thank you, Eiji-kun." He whispered, sadly. "_Thank you for your kindness_." He completed on his mind.

#########

Tezuka hid a yawn with the back of his hand. He was on the hallway of his apartment. It was late at night and he was finally at home. He wanted to take a warm shower, eat something and sleep for the whole night. He was terribly tired.

He wished he had the time to send Oishi a message, but it was late already and he would do it in the morning. Exchanging messages was also part of dating someone, right? He felt inept for not knowing such basic things.

"You're finally home." The familiar voice reached his ears as soon as he entered his home and the dark eyes narrowed in annoyance. He had forgotten Fuji had a spare key.

"What are you doing here?" Fuji was sitting on his sofa.

"I came to talk to you. I even brought food, but it's almost midnight. Do you always come home at this time?"

"It doesn't concern you." He said, removing his shoes, jacket and tie. "Could you please leave? I'm tired."

When he was about to go to his room when the shorter man grabbed his arm and was in front of him with a serious look on the light blue eyes.

"I want to talk."

"There's nothing for us to talk about." He responded dryly.

"Why are you acting like a spoiled brat? I didn't know you were on that bar. I was not teasing you."

"I don't care anymore." He released himself from his grasp. "Do as you like."

Kunimitsu entered his bedroom and remove his shirt when he was pushed to the bed in a sudden move, falling on his back and Fuji was on top of him.

"Do not walk away from me." The blue eyes were hard over the brown ones. "Hear me out."

Tezuka grabbed his wrists and turned him around, pinning him down on the mattress.

"I know that you never see me in front of you for real or listened to me properly, but pay attention now: I'm done with you. I don't want to see you ever again. Don't you think you tortured me enough?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About everything, since the beginning. You acting selfishly, never letting me know where I stood, always forgetting I existed aside from you being bored or too lazy to look for someone else."

"Kunimitsu…" he was truly surprised with his words and the hurt expression on his handsome face.

"It must have been fun, right? Seeing me always available, always trying to be by your side, helpless and begging for some attention, while you selfishly dictated all the rules and controlled even the times you would surrender your body to me."

There was a deep and long silence between them. Tezuka let go of his arms and stood up, about to enter the bathroom when Fuji was in front of him again, a deep frown on his forehead.

"Stop talking like I decieved you, I did not do such a thing. It's the first time I'm hearing about your dissatisfaction."

Syuusuke grabbed both of his arms.

"If you were so miserable, why did you continue with me through all these years? I never forced you to do anything."

The truth of his words hit his chest hard. He was too proud and stubborn to ever voice his needs over their relationship. Kunimitsu feared Syuusuke would laugh at him, call him demanding and leave him for good. He decided to suffer on silence than letting go. He swallowed so many bad emotions for all those years until reaching a point of no return.

He averted his eyes and was unable to respond. Fuji took a deep breath and let go of him.

"It was never my intention to hurt you." He spoke in a sad, but truthful tone and Tezuka understood that was also his way of saying goodbye.


	11. Chapter 11

Haruka moved on her bed a little, feeling slow kisses on her neck. She smiled when Takumi's hand touched her naked belly. Her fiancé had finally returned to Tokyo and surprised her, going to her apartment late at night.

"Good morning." He whispered and her hand covered his.

She opened the golden eyes and looked at her alarm clock. It was 7 o'clock.

"I need to get ready." she said, lazily.

"Do you really need to go to work today?" he hugged her.

"And what excuse would I give?" she turned around and smiled at him. "I want to spend the day in bed with my fiancé?"

"That's the best argument ever." He smiled happily and she giggled at him, before kissing him gently.

"At least today is Friday." She said, before standing up and wrapped herself in some loose sheets. "We can stay here for all the weekend."

"I was planning on going to visit Shuichirou." He sat down and looked at her kindly. "Don't you think two weeks is long enough without you two talking to each other?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She turned around and wanted to leave the room when he held her wrist gently.

"Please, Haruka. You guys are best friends. Don't let that Tezuka guy come between you two again. I know you miss him."

"But he's going to get hurt." she turned around and looked at him. Takumi noticed the sadness on the golden eyes and smiled kindly at her.

"You cannot expect someone else to act like we wanted them to. Even when we want to protect them."

"I just…" she sat down by his side. "Don't want him to be heartbroken again."

"I know." He hugged her and kissed her cheek. "But it's his choice, we cannot intervene. We just need to support him, as his friends."

She looked at him silently and caressed his handsome face. She had missed him so much. His gentle voice and words would always soothe her heart.

Haruka kissed Takumi and slowly pushed his naked body to bed, making him smile when the sheets reached the floor.

"How about going to work?" he whispered between deep kisses.

"I can spare half an hour."

He closed his eyes while enjoying the feeling of her lips brushing on his skin.

############

When Oishi arrived at the kitchen, he noticed Eiji's eyes were on the dark skies and he had a worried expression. The doctor had already taken a shower and was dressed to work.

"A spring storm is forming, right?"

"Ah!" he was a little surprised, being so focused on the landscape outside. "I… I guess so."

"Do you want a ride today?" he sat down by the table "I can pick up you at college when my shift ends."

"It's okay, Oishi-san, don't worry about it." He smiled, trying to hide his concern. "I made eggs and sausage for breakfast today."

"Thank you, Eiji-kun." He said, when the teenager put the plate in front of him. He took a bite and smiled. "So good!"

Eiji just continued to smile, but, even while he was eating, the dark blue eyes continued to look at the heavy clouds.

###########

The baby's cry echoed on the small house. Chiho was walking with Haruki on her shoulder, one side to the other on their living room, gently rubbing her back.

"It's okay, it's okay."

"What happened?" Masayuki appeared rubbing his hair. He was extremely sleepy. They would take turns to take care of the baby and he had gotten up for the last feeding.

"I don't know, I just fed her and she started to cry."

"Come here, Haru." He picked her up and gently rocked her inside his arms while one of his hands caressed her dark green hair. "Easy, easy. Everything is fine. Don't cry."

It took her a moment to stop crying and lean on her father's chest while starting to fall asleep.

Chiho took a deep breath and looked at him worried.

"Do you think she hates me?"

"Not at all." He smiled. "But, babies are very sensitive. You're worried about Eiji, right?"

"The weather forecast said it's going to rain a lot soon." She looked through the windows. "And he's all alone in Tokyo."

"Hey, he's going to be fine. I'm sure he will find a way to deal with that. He's all grown up now."

"I hope you're right. I would hate to know he needed us and we were not there for him." She said before caressing her daughter's little fingers and softly kissed her round cheek.

#########

Kikumaru was in the baking class. He was slowly mixing some bread batter on a big bowl, but his blue eyes were looking to the windows. It had started to rain half an hour ago. It was his last class of the day and he was feeling nauseated.

"Kikumaru-san." His classmate whispered his name. They were sharing the same table. "Kikumaru-san!"

"Ah!" he finally noticed the teenager by his side. She had short black hair and purple eyes. "Yagami-san, I'm sorry. What's it?"

"You're going to ruin your dough. You're mixing for too long already and you didn't even put the flour yet."

"Ah!" he put it on the table. "You're right, thank you!"

She looked at him worried while he picked up the wheat flour.

"You seem a little off today. Is everything okay?"

"Yes!" he smiled. "I just have my head full."

"Ah, okay, then. You will need to put the batter on the oven now, otherwise it will not work out."

"Yes, yes."

#############

Eiji took a deep breath, already on his locker, putting his objects away. He had ruined his recipe and would have to go to school earlier in the morning so he could try again and present to his teacher on Monday.

"_Well, at least she let me try again._" He talked to himself on his mind. Looking at the rain outside, his heart race. "_There were no thunders yet. If I hurry up, I can get home before it happens._"

He took a deep breath and was about to step outside when a bright lighting crossed the skies. When the loud sound of the thunder echoed on the building, Eiji fell on his knees and once again the feeling of being about to die reached his heart while his body started to tremble.

##########

"Eiji-kun, I'm home." Oishi said, opening the door. It was lucky he had an umbrella at his office, otherwise he would be soaked. "Such a strong rain, right?"

He noticed the teenager's sneakers were not on the doorstep as usual and found it strange. He looked at his watch and was already 21 o´clock. Kikumaru would be on the kitchen, waiting for him, or studying in his room.

"Eiji-kun?" he called again, from the dark living room and went to his bedroom to find it also dark and empty. "Odd."

Shuichirou picked up his cell phone and there were no messages from him. Usually, if he stayed in college for a little more, studying on the library or practicing in the kitchen, he would always tell him.

He called the teenager and it rang for a long time. He tried twice and with no response. Oishi was starting to get worried.

"Eiji-kun, pick it up." He talked to himself.

He sent him a message "I'm worried about you. Tell me where you are, please. Are you okay?"

It took a long moment until his cell phone started to rang again and he smiled.

"Eiji-kun! Where are you? Are you stuck in college because of the rain?"

"Oishi-san…." His voice was almost a whisper.

"Eiji-kun, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Oishi-san… I… I'm sorry… I can't…." Shuichirou noticed his breathing was difficult and he was crying.

"Eiji-kun, what happened?! Where are you?!"

"I can't…move. My legs… don't obey me. I can't breathe…"

"Eiji-kun, you're at college, right?!"

"Ye…Yes." He sobbed.

"I will pick you up. Hang in there. I'm on my way!"

The call was turned off and another thunder crashed outside, making his muscles hurt. He hated to feel like that, frozen in fear.

Eiji was all alone in the dark and he prayed Oishi could arrive as soon as possible.


	12. Chapter 12

Oishi could hear his heart beating like drums on his chest. He was trying his best to remain calm and drive safely under that storm but he could feel the sweat on his hands during the path between his home and Eiji's college.

He was finally a little relieved when entered the opened parking space. The place was about to close and the majority of the paths were dark. The heavy rain was not helping. Oishi left his car and ran to the entrance. He looked at the maps but felt completely lost. He looked around, trying to find someone, but it was already empty.

He called Eiji again on his cell phone when another thunder echoed on the skies and the boy didn't pick up.

"Damn it!" he continued to call while running on the hallways, looking for him.

After crossing the entire hallway, Shuichirou went to the other building.

"Eiji-kun!" he screamed loudly, starting to get desperate. "Eiji-kun!"

His voice echoed on the walls, until the green eyes focused on another map and he finally had a small hope, running towards the student's lockers.

Another thunder crashed loudly and he noticed something different in a dark corner. Oishi walked in silence, holding his breath. Coming close, he saw Eiji sitting on the floor, his arms around his legs and his hands over his ears. His whole body was trembling and he could hear his difficult breathing.

"Eiji-kun?" Oishi kneeled in front of him.

The boy finally looked at him, his handsome face covered in tears that continued to fall from the scared blue eyes.

"Oishi-san…." His voice broke the young doctor's heart.

"Eiji-kun, what happened? Did someone do something to you?!"

Before he could answer, another thunder echoed and once more Eiji tried to protect himself from the loud noise, holding his head tightly.

"The thunder… are you afraid of it?" he noticed the boy was having trouble to breath and he wouldn't be able to respond.

Oishi took a deep breath. Eiji's backpack was on the ground so he placed it on his own back, before picking the boy from the floor.

"It's okay, Eiji-kun. We're going home." He said, gently, carrying him on his arms.

Kikumaru was so frightened that he was not able to do anything aside from grabbing his clothes with shaking hands.

##########

The dark blue eyes always so happy were completely blank, Shuichirou noticed while placing Eiji on his chair, near his desk. There was a trail of water on the apartment and both of them were dripping wet. Oishi was capable of turning on the living room lights so his room was illuminated a little.

He opened the boy's wardrobe and took one of his clean towels. The red drenched bangs were over Eiji's face.

"Here, let me dry you." Oishi said, putting a towel on his hair and drying it gently. While drying his face, he smiled kindly at the silent teenager. It was so strange not hearing his happy voice and Shuichirou's chest was tight. "Eiji-kun, I'm going to take off your clothes, okay? So you can put some clean ones. Otherwise you will get sick."

He continued not responding, but was cooperative with Shuichirou's actions. First he removed the sneakers and his socks, drying his feet. He removed his drenched t-shirt and his jeans, placing them on the floor. His underwear was not wet and it was not necessary to remove it. The young doctor touched his hands and held them inside his own, blowing some hot air on them.

"_They're freezing, but it isn't because of the rain._" He thought to himself, looking at the teenager. He was clearly in shock. Oishi picked up his pajama on his bed and patiently dressed him.

"Let's go to bed?" he held Eiji's arm and helped with his heavy steps. He laid down and Oishi pulled the covers over him. The rain continued to fall, but he noticed there was no more lighting or thunders since they arrived home.

"Eiji-kun, try to sleep now, okay?" he caressed his messy hair. " If you need anything I will be on my room, so …"

Eiji finally moved, grabbing his hand and looked at him like a lost child.

"Please, don't go."

"Eiji-kun…"

"Don't leave me alone." A small tear ran down his face. "Please."

Oishi was already feeling coldish because of his wet clothes, but he just sat down by the boy's side and, with his free hand, he caressed his cheek, drying his tear with his thumb.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said, with a small smile. "You're not alone."

Kikumaru finally was able to take a deep, relieved breath and he closed his eyes, feeling extremely exhausted.


	13. Chapter 13

Eiji felt the gentle sunlight coming through the windows and touching his face. He opened his eyes slowly. It was a beautiful day outside, so much different from the terrible one before. The sky was bright blue with no clouds.

He sat down and his whole body was painful, like he had carried a ton on his shoulders. He touched his forehead with his fingers and took a deep breath. He hated that uncomfortable lingering sensation that would always follow after such terrible event.

He picked up his cell phone near and it was almost lunch time. There were also a lot of messages and calls from his parents and he felt horrible for worrying them. Before he could call them back, he remembered about Oishi and stood up, leaving his room.

"Oh, you're finally awake." Oishi smiled gently at him. He was wearing a grey t-shirt with a white pair of pajama pants and was at the table, eating some toast while holding a cup. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Oishi-san." Eiji felt terribly embarrassed on seeing him.

"Come, sit down. I made some hot chocolate."

"You did?" he was a little surprise.

"This much I can do." He smiled, pouring the rich liquid on another cup from a small pot.

"It's good." He said, after having a sip. "Thank you. I'm sorry I woke up so late."

"Don't mention it. I slept late as well. I only left your room when the rain stopped for good and you seemed better. It was about 4 a.m."

"I'm so sorry for what happened, Oishi-san." He lowered his face. "I'm really, really sorry for all the trouble. Please, tell me how I can repay you, so…."

Oishi touched his hand and the green eyes were worried.

"Tell me what happened, Eiji-kun. I was so afraid, I didn't know how to help you properly."

Eiji was surprised, it was the first time someone besides Masayuki or Chiho were kind towards his situation.

He took a deep breath, before talking, holding his hands together.

"I don't remember my mother's face or anything about her. But, I remember that, the day she left me on the orphanage, there was a terrible rain, just like the one yesterday. I was alone in a strange place with strange people and a strange bed. I started to cry with the thunders, very loudly and the older kids locked me inside the wardrobe for the whole night.I screamed with all my might, but they didn't let me out. My hands were all bloody from banging on the door. It was dark and tight and I thought I would die." Oishi noticed his shoulders started to tremble. "Chiho-nee and Masa-nii would stay in different dorms, so they couldn't help me and things only got worse as time went by. Every time there's thunder, my heart races, my legs fail on me and I forget how to breathe. I cannot stop crying as well, so the older boys continued to do it up until I was able to hide from them."

"_He's traumatized._" Oishi thought to himself.

"While I was at the orphanage I was placed to do some psychotherapy, but after I was adopted, since I was on a scholarship at school, it wouldn't be seen with good eyes if a student would present such a thing, so I told Chiho-nee and Masa-nii that I would deal with it alone, because we didn't have money to a private doctor and a public one would send reports to the school."

"I see."

"I'm sorry I showed you such a bad side of me. I'm really sorry for all the trouble."

"You don't have to apologize, Eiji-kun. You have something called post traumatic disorder. It's common after suffering a trauma, especially after everything that happened to you, your mother leaving, being alone, being abused. You were just a little boy."

"But I'm an adult now!" he looked at him seriously, the blue eyes filled with tears again. "I was supposed to know how to control this thing, I really though… I really thought I could do it."

"Sometimes we need help to deal with things. And it's okay." He said, kindly.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Not at all. Why would I? It's not your fault. I just wished you would tell me before, so I could help you somehow. Is there anything that makes it more bearable?"

"When I'm at home with Masa-nii and Chiho-nee , it's not so bad." he showed a small smile with the memories of his parents's support and gentleness. "I stay in bed and they would take turns to be with me."

"I see. So, let's do this if it happens again, okay?"

"What?" he blushed. "But… I cannot ask this from you, Oishi-san!"

"Why not? If I had a problem, you would help me out, right?"

"Yes!" Oishi smiled with his honest respond.

"Let's create a system so you wont't feel so bad on those days. If it is about to rain heavily, if it's possible, I will stay home with you. If I'm at work, you can go and stay at my office."

"But!"

"Let's check the weather forecast everyday from now on. If it's going to rain, I'm going to drive you to college and pick you up. You can call me anytime. It won't be a problem. Okay?"

"Yes." He finally showed him a small smile.

"Would you let me search a therapy for you? It's not good for you to suffer with such thing."

"Okay. I really appreaciate it, Oishi-san."

"Let's finish breakfast? I will spend the day at home. It's sunny outside so it will be great for laundry."

Eiji nodded and drank from the sweet liquid again, the blue eyes were over Oishi and the teenager couldn't believe someone that kind could actually exist.

###########

Tezuka was getting out of the shower when his cell phone rang. He picked up a towel to dry his hair a little and put his glasses on.

"Yes?"

"Tezuka, hello." Shuichirou said, gently. He was sitting on his bed. Eiji was taking a shower, they were going out to have lunch on the neighborhood. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to come over and spend the night."

"Did something happen?"

"Eiji-kun had a rough time yesterday and I don't want him to be alone, so I'm staying home for the weekend."

"Is that so? Is he all right?"

"Yes, but he's still a little on low spirits."

"I see."

"I'm sorry." The monotone of his voice always made Oishi confused. He never knew when Kunimitsu was happy or upset.

"Do not apologize, there's no need. Let's reschedule."

"Can I go on Friday night and spend the whole weekend?" Shuichirou asked, hopeful and a little shy.

"Of course. I will prepare something for us to eat."

"You know how to cook?!"

"A little." There was a subtle smile on his face with his enthusiasm. It would be the first time he would cook for someone else aside from Fuji.

"It settle then."

"Okay. Goodbye."

"Bye, Tezuka."

Oishi had a happy smile on his face after turning off.


	14. Chapter 14

Haruka was working on her computer when she heard a brief knock on her door. It was almost lunch time.

"Yes?" she looked up and Oishi opened the door of her office.

"Hi." He smiled gently. "Are you having lunch soon? I asked Eiji-kun to prepare a bigger obento so I could share it with you."

The golden eyes were serious over him and she was silent.

"I know I'm not your favorite person right now, but can we talk? It's about Eiji-kun. He needs some help."

She took a deep breath.

"Okay."

They sat on the cafeteria, across from each other in the most distant table, to have some privacy, and Shuichirou placed the obento in front of her. There were small pork hamburgers, salad, rice and teriyaki sauce. She picked up one of the hamburgers and ate slowly, putting her hand in front of her face, trying to hide how delicious it was.

"Is it good?" Shuichirou smiled.

"So, what did happen to him?" she asked after eating.

"He has traumatic disorder." he said, seriously. "I found out last Friday during the storm."

"Why?"

"Something happened during the time he was at the orphanage. He was victim of some cruelty from older kids and it was associated with thunders. So, every time there's a storm, he has a panic attack. He was unable to speak or walk or even breathe properly. I had to pick him up on my arms and take him home. It's very serious."

"How long is this happening?"

"Since his mother abandoned him. He was 5 years old."

"That's a lot of time for suffering with such a thing. Has he ever done therapy?"

"For a little while, before he was adopted. There were some circumstances he couldn't continue. So, I was wondering if you know a place where he could do it with an affordable price or even for free.

"Sure. I can look for something near your place or his college, so it can be easier for him. Where's he studying?"

"Hattori Nutrition College, it's on Shibuya."

"Okay. As soon as I get some places, I will send to you by message. Eiji-kun can choose the best for him."

"Thank you, so much, Hakura." He smiled.

"Don't need to thank me." She said, before picking up some salad and eating it.

"Takumi has come back, right? He sent me a message yesterday. He said he wanted to have a meal together."

"Yeah, he told me the same." She didn't look at him.

"Haruka, I know you don't like Tezuka, but he never did anything wrong. Every time I was with him was from my own free will, including that time when…"

"I don't want to talk about this." The golden eyes were hard.

"He didn't even know I was dating you back then."

"What?" she was really surprised.

"He didn't know. He has no blame on what happened, it was all my fault." He looked at her gently. "I'm happy, being on this relationship. But, I will not be with him if you're seriously against it and if you tell me, right now, that you don't want me to be with him. I already failed you once, I won't do it again. You're too precious for me."

Haruka looked at him seriously and silently for a long moment. Since they met each other, she could always be sure of Shuichirou's love for Tezuka. Even when they were dating, she had no intentions of ever substitute him on Oishi's heart. Tezuka was his first teenager crush and he had stubbornly held onto those feelings, silently and patiently waiting for him to remember about the young doctor's existence when it was useful for him. Was Tezuka really going to be able to make him happy, the way he deserved after so many years of devotion? Haruka looked deep inside the green eyes and silently begged her friend's feelings would be answered properly.

She took a deep breath and looked at him kindly.

"If you say you're happy, that's enough with me."

"Thank you, Haruka." He smiled, relieved.

"So, what about your birthday? Since Takumi is back, we can finally do something, right? Even though more than two weeks had passed by."

"We could have dinner at my place." He said, gently. "I will ask Eiji-kun if Thursday night is a good day."

"Did you even tell Eiji-kun about it?"

"Not really. He was busy with tests. And, after becoming an adult, birthdays aren't that big of a deal anymore." He ate a piece of the hamburger. "It wouldn't be fun without you guys anyway."

"It's a deal, then." She smiled kindly.

########

Kunimitsu stretched himself on the chair. He was studying some documents on his dinning table. He had dinner after leaving his office and took a bath just after returning home from work. How long was he there anyway? He picked up his phone and looked at the time. It was 10 o'clock already. He scrolled his messages and stopped at Oishi's contact and the dark eyes were gentle, remembering about their last conversation. Shuichirou was coming to spend the weekend, right? That would be a first for him. Fuji never allowed him to do such a thing, to spend so much time together.

"I wonder what kind of food he likes to eat." He talked to himself. "On the few times we ate together, he didn't seem to be picky."

He felt a little stupid and guilty for not knowing many things about him, even knowing each other for so long.

He remembered a few things of their high school years together, but not enough to be confidant about Shuichirou's preferences. And, on the last years, their encounters were always brief and based on sex. Was he really going to be able to be in a relationship properly? What else people do besides having sex? Ah, sex. Was it okay to continue to do it every time they saw each other, like before? He thought about the last time they had sex on his home and how Oishi was the one who initiated things.

He remembered his warmth, his voice and the look on the green eyes on those private moments. Tezuka was stricken by the sudden desire of seeing him and wondered if it was possible to do it before the weekend. He was about to look at his schedule for the next days when a new message arrive at his phone. He found it strange and was surprised at seeing the sender. He stood up and walked towards the door, opening it quickly.

"Syuusuke." He said, a little surprised.

Fuji was in front of him with a small white paper bag and looked at him kindly.

"Good evening. I'm sorry coming so suddenly at such time."

It seemed liked centuries had passed since they saw each other. Before Tezuka could say anything, he stretched his arm and put the bag in front of him.

"I came to return these for you. You left a couple of shirts and a toothbrush at my place. Your spare key is in there as well."

"Thank you." He said, picking up the object. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all. I should have done it sooner, but I was busy at work. I'm traveling tomorrow morning again, so… I just wanted to solve this already."

"I see."

"You seem well." The blue eyes were kind.

"I'm well." He was able to hide how fast his heart was beating inside his chest. Was his hair longer? He seemed tired, was he able to sleep properly?

"I'm sorry about the last time we talked to each other. I lost my temper."

"I did it as well. Do not apologize."

"But, I didn't lie, Kunimitsu. I had no idea I had hurt you. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay." Tezuka said, sincerely. "I think it was the best for both of us."

Fuji was surprised for a moment, before chuckling.

"I guess it was." He looked at him and Tezuka noticed a hint of sadness on his eyes. "Well, I'm sorry for bothering you again. Good night."

"Good night." It was all he was able to say, before Fuji turned his back and entered in the elevator in hurried steps.


	15. Chapter 15

"Your birthday?!" Eiji said, shocked. He was on the kitchen, preparing the dishes for dinner. Oishi had just returned from the shower. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, you're busy with your tests." He replied gently. "And it was not a big deal, really."

"Of course it was! It was your birthday, Oishi-san!" he was seriously worried about it. "Everyone should have a special day."

Shuichirou smiled. He was such a good kid. He got closer and put his hand over his fluffy red hair.

"You made delicious food for me and, at the end of the day, you welcomed me with a big smile, Eiji-kun." He smiled. "It was more than enough for me."

The boy blushed and averted his eyes.

"Even so…"

"So, what do you think about having dinner together on Thursday? You'll finally meet Takumi." He helped him with the food and put the meals on the table. There was deep fried shrimp, rice and stir fry vegetables.

"It sounds good!" Eiji smiled, when they sat down. "What do you want me to cook?"

"Oh, no! When Takumi is around he's the one who cooks. Don't worry about it."

"Really?"

"But, can you prepare some dessert for us? You're training new recipes in school, right?"

"I learned to make cheesecake this week!"

"Really? That sounds great, Eiji-kun." Oishi took a bite from the shrimp and moaned happily. "So crispy! And how about this seasoning? Is this lemon?"

"Yes!"

"It's great!"

They ate silently for a moment, before Shuichirou talked again.

"Haruka's going to send me some places for your therapy. So you can choose the best one for you inside your route."

"Is that so?" he looked at him. "Thank you so much, Oishi-san."

"Don't mention it." He smiled, before eating some vegetables.

"Oishi-san?"

"Yes?"

"Is your girlfriend coming to dinner as well?"

Oishi coughed to his question and Eiji was worried. He ran to his side and rubbed his back.

"Oishi-san! What happened?!"

It took him a while to be able to speak again.

"I'm sorry, I was just surprised by your question."

Eiji sat by his side and looked at him.

"Did I say something wrong? It's just… if you are with someone and celebrating your birthday, wouldn't be normal to invite this person over?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's just… a little complicated." Shuichirou couldn't even imagine putting Tezuka and Haruka together on the same room.

"Is me living here troubling you?" the blue eyes are worried.

"Not at all! It has nothing to do with you, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He smiled, trying to put him at ease. "I would never date someone who would have a problem with you. In fact, that person tried your food and said it was really good."

"Really?!" he grinned happily. "I'm glad!"

"Ah, while, on this subject, I'm spending the weekend away. So, you will have the house to yourself. Is that okay? You can call me if something happens."

"Don't worry, Oishi-san. You work hard every day, you should enjoy yourself with the person you like.

"Thank you, Eiji-kun." Oishi was sure Eiji was the best kid ever.

############

"Thank you for having me." Shuichirou said, gently, after Tezuka closed the door after him. It was Wednesday night and Kunimitsu had invited him over to his place. Oishi went there after he left the hospital.

He waited for the young doctor to take off his shoes and went to the living room.

"It smells good." He looked around the apartment. It had dark furniture, a big shelf with a lot of books and a dark leather sofa. The decoration was minimalistic, just like Oishi had imagined.

"It's not anything special like you used to at home, though." He said, going to the kitchen. "You can sit down."

"I'm sure it will be delicious." He said, sitting on the small table.

Kunimitsu returned with two plates and put one of them in front of Shuichirou. It had a thick steak on it with dark sauce and some sauté vegetables on the side.

"Wow! This is beautiful! What kind of sauce is this?"

"It's made with red wine reduction." He said, before sitting down.

"Thank you for the food." Oishi cut a piece and ate it slowly, enjoying the flavor. "It's very good! I didn't know you could do such a thing."

"Syuusuke liked to eat it, so he taught me how to do it." He responded, sincerely and naturally. It took him a moment to realize what he had said. "I'm sorry. Does it bother you?"

"Not at all." Shuichirou smiled kindly. "I'm glad you cooked for me. Everyone learns from different sources, right?"

"I guess you're right." He said, before starting to eat.

They talked a little about their work over the meal and when they finished, Oishi offered to wash the dishes, but since there was a dishwasher, he just put them in there.

Kunimitsu invited him to sit on the sofa and Shuichirou smiled at him.

"What time do you have to go home?" Tezuka asked.

Oishi looked at his watch and smiled.

"I can stay for a couple of hours."

"Isn't your kid going to be worried?"

"Eiji-kun is not my kid." He chuckled. "And I told him I was going to come back later. I also told him I'm dating someone."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." He caressed his face. "I was surprised when you invited me over, since we're already going to spend the weekend together."

"I just wanted to see you." The dark eyes were gentle.

Shuichirou leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his mouth.

"Being missed is a good thing."

Tezuka cupped his face and kissed him again, this time deeper. His tongue slowly touched Oishi's. Shuichirou got on his knees, without breaking the kiss and Kunimitsu hugged his body tightly, his hands on his back. They kissed for a long time until he felt Oishi's hardness pressing on his abdomen. His hands were on his pants, about to open them, when he broke the kiss.

"Wait, I…" there was a slight blush on his face.

"I'm sorry." Kunimitsu said, concerned. "Don't you want to?"

"It's not that." He showed a small smile. "It's just… can I take a shower first? I came straight from work."

Tezuka kissed him again, feeling relieved.

"I will wait for you in the bedroom."

#######

"I picked up one of your towels on the shelf." Oishi said, a little shy, when he entered his room. He was wearing a dark blue towel around his waist and Kunimitsu was sitting on the bed. There was only a small side lamp on.

"That's okay." He said, touching his hand and gently pulled him closer. He placed a kiss on his navel, before his tongue was over his lean abdomen, his fingers touching his waist. He removed the towel and let it slide to the floor, before his tongue continued to trail south.

Shuichirou's fingers entered the light brown hair and he closed his eyes, feeling Tezuka's hot mouth around him. He bit his lips due to the sensation.

Kunimitsu looked at him and felt satisfied for witness his pleasure. He licked all his length, slowly and pressed it lightly inside of his hand. At one point, he started to suck on the tip and Shuichirou grabbed his shoulders tightly.

"Tezuka…." He whispered in a deep breath.

He noticed his legs had started to tremble. He brought Shuichirou to the bed, to kneel on top of him, without letting go. Tezuka's back was on the headboard. Oishi was surprised at first, when his head started to move up and down. His hips started to move as well, thrusting inside Kunimitsu's mouth. His hands were tight on the headboard and Shuichirou closed his eyes, wanting to enjoy that incredible sensation to the fullest. He was already on the edge when he distanced himself and sat on Tezuka's lap. He looked at him for a moment before removing his glasses and putting them away safely on the bed side table. Oishi kissed him hungrily and impatiently while removing his clothes. He kissed his chest and licked his nipples, feeling his fast heartbeats on his fingertips.

"Lay down." Kunimitsu's deep voice whispering on his ear made him tremble entirely.

The young doctor was already impatient in anticipating while Tezuka put the condom and was on top of him, kissing him slowly, like his mouth was imitating the movements of his hips. His back was straight and he looked at the green eyes. He held one of his legs high and placed a gentle kiss on Oishi's knee before he finally started to move.

############

Oishi returned home almost 11 o'clock. He quietly opened the door and removed his shoes silently. The house was completely dark, except from the light coming from Eiji's room. He walked slowly towards the bedroom and smiled, on the door, seeing the teenager sleeping on his desk. He had fallen asleep while studying, over a dessert book and his notes.

Shuichirou got close and touched his shoulder.

"Eiji-kun, I'm home." He said, gently.

The blue eyes opened slowly and he showed him a sleepy smile.

"Welcome home, Oishi-san." He was still laying on the desk.

"Go to bed. It's late already. Otherwise you will feel painful in the morning."

"Okay." He stood up, slowly, before laying down.

Shuichirou helped him with the covers and sat on the floor, by his bed, while caressing his red hair.

"Did you have a good day today?"

"I did." He responded, half asleep. "And you?"

"I did too." He smiled, gently.

"Good." He fell asleep again and Oishi smiled, before standing up.

He took a last look on Eiji's cute sleeping face before turning off the lights and going to his own room.


	16. Chapter 16

"Shuichirou!" Takumi hugged him tightly as soon as Oishi opened the door. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt with jeans and snickers. Shuichirou could feel his bones being crushed due to the biologist's affection. "I've missed you!"

It took him a couple of seconds to breathe properly and being able to reply.

"Takumi, I've missed you too." He smiled to his friend. Haruka was by his side. "You look beautiful, Haruka."

"Thank you." She was wearing an yellow dress with some cleavage showing and her hair was tight on a ponytail. Putting a small gift box on his hands, she smiled. "I hope you like it."

"What's it?"

"I helped to chose it!" Takumi said.

Shuichirou opened the box and there were a set of 2 ceramic bowls, a bigger one and a smaller one and two pairs of hashis. They were white and blue with a beautiful wave pattern.

"This is beautiful! Thank you, both of you!"

"Since you have a roommate now, I thought it would be nice for you guys to have a set on something."

"It's lovely, thank you." He was very happy.

"Hey, Shuichirou, I'm going to make_ karaage_." Takumi smiled showing him a big bag. "Is it still your favorite?"

"Sure! Eiji-kun is on the kitchen, finishing the dessert."

"Oh, we're having dessert?" Takumi said, taking of his shoes and rushing to the kitchen.

Eiji was finishing decorating the cheesecake,meticulously putting strawberries on its top. There was a thick layer of strawberry jam as well. The blue eyes were extremely focused and he had a serious look on his face.

"Wow, this is beautiful!" Takumi said, by his side, looking at the dessert.

"Ah!" Eiji jumped to the other side, scared and looked at the unknown young man.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Takumi, what are you doing?!" Haruka scolded him. She was by the kitchen with Shuichirou. "Don't startle Eiji-kun!"

"Eiji-kun, are you all right?" Oishi asked.

"Ye...yes." he smiled at Haruka. "Kono-san, good evening."

"Hello, Eiji-kun. This silly one here is my fiancé, Harada Takumi."

"Nice to meet you, Harada-san." He made a quick reverence.

"Harada-san was my father." He smiled. "Takumi is just fine!"

"Wow, Eiji-kun, you did this?!" Haruka came close of the cheesecake. "It's perfect!"

"It's the first time I'm preparing such a thing!" he blushed.

Oishi put his hand on his hair and smiled at him.

"I'm sure it's wonderful. Let's put it in the fridge and let Takumi start dinner, okay? You can rest for a while, you worked so hard during all afternoon."

"I will take good care of your kitchen, Eiji-kun." Takumi said, taking his own apron from the bag.

"Okay." Eiji smiled.

#######

"Thank you for helping me with the therapy, Kono-san." Eiji said, sincerely. They were on the living room while Takumi was on the kitchen.

"Don't mention it." She drank a sip of wine from her glass. "So, did you choose a place?"

"He's going to Tokyo Counseling Services. They charged him over his income on the part time job, so it was a reasonable price."

"I'm starting next week." He made a small reverence. "I'm really grateful."

"I hope it can really help you out." She smiled gently. "You can call me anytime if you need something, okay? You can get my cell phone number from Shuichirou later."

"Ah, thank you very much." He was a little shy.

"Food is ready!" Takumi appeared on the kitchen with a big bowl of deep fried chicken.

"Oh, it smells good." Haruka said, getting up.

"I made rice and some green salad as well with some vegetables I found on the fridge." He looked at Eiji. "I hope it's okay."

"Sure!" Kikumaru smiled "Let me help you to set the table."

"I will help too." Shuichirou said, standing up as well.

They set the table and sat down. Takumi stood, with a red wine glass on his hand, looking at Shuichirou with a big smile.

"Happy late birthday, Shuichirou. I wish you all the best! Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!" Haruka and Eiji toasted as well. She continued to drink wine and Shuichirou and Eiji were drinking orange juice.

Takumi served them and waited for Shuichirou to try the food.

"How's it?"

"Amazing!" he said, after taking a bite. "What do you think, Eiji-kun?"

"It's… incredible!" he looked at Takumi like a puppy waving his tail. "Like nothing I tasted before! What kind of seasoning you used?!"

"It's a secret." The biologist smiled widely.

"What?" Eiji was disappointed.

"He learned the recipe with his grandmother, he had never told me as well." Haruka said. "And we've known each other for all our lives." She shrugged.

"Maybe he will pass it down for your own kids in the future." Oishi said.

"Speaking of which." The psychologist smiled at her fiancé before looking back at her friend. "We set a date."

"Really?!" the doctor smiled. "That's great! When it will be?"

"July 6th." Takumi smiled. "The first day of the morning glories festival, since they are Haru's favorite."

"And it's going to be on a Saturday night, so people can go and enjoy themselves at the inn."

"Ah, so you're doing it at your parent's place!" Oishi said.

"Your parents have an inn, Kono-san? That's awesome!"

"Yes, at Isshiki Beach." She took a deep breath. "And they are a little mad with me. It's been a while since I went there."

"Shuichirou, I was wondering if you would like to be my best man?"

"Really?" he was very touched.

"I don't have any siblings and you'll look handsome on anything." He grinned. "It would be good for the photos."

Oishi chuckled.

"Of course! It's an honor."

"Eiji-kun, are you going to be busy at school? We would like you to come as well." Haruka said.

The blue eyes sparkled.

"For real?! I would love to go! I've never been in a wedding or an inn before!" he looked at Oishi. "Is that okay?"

"Of course." He smiled gently.

############

Takumi and Shuichirou were doing the dishes. Haruka was watching tv and Eiji was asleep on the sofa. It was late already.

"The kid is cute." Takumi said, smiling to his friend. "And very talented as well, the cheesecake was perfect."

"Isn't he?! He's really working hard on the desserts at college."

"You sound like a proud mother." He smiled. "And you're happier too."

"Wha do you mean?" Oishi was confused.

"I had a feeling that you were always a little bit lonely, especially when you move to this place. But, seeing you around with Eiji-kun, you seem very at ease." The scarlet eyes looked at him gently. "Maybe you needed someone to take care of. Everyone needs a connection like that. Being alone for a long time isn't good."

"I guess you're right." He said, sponging some dishes.

"How about the Tezuka guy?" he whispered. "Are things okay?"

"Yes." He blushed a little. "Things are fine."

"Good. If he ever hurt you, I'm going to punch him."

Oishi chuckled.

"You must be relieved with setting a date, right?"

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "I was afraid Haru was going to leave me. But, fortunately I was able to fix my schedule for good this time. For the next three eyes, at least, I will be able to stay on land. I will try to be a spot at Toudai after this research ends, so I can be a teacher there."

"Really? That sounds great!"

"I don't want to be apart from her anymore." He noticed the scarlet eyes were filled with love while talking about his fiancée.

"Haruka will be a beautiful bride." Shuichirou said, sincerely.

"She sure will." He replied happily.


	17. Chapter 17

The light blue eyes opened slowly. Fuji was laying in the middle of messy sheets at a hotel bed. The lamp at the bathroom was lit and he sat down, feeling a little coldish. He was naked and the air condition was blowing strongly.

He sat down and touched his hair, wanting to dissipate sleep. He looked at the floor and he saw his discarded clothes and the used condoms. He was there with a guy he met on a bar and he didn't even remember his name.

His hand reached his cell phone and he looked at the time, it was 2 a.m on Sunday.

Syuusuke felt a little sluggish so he stood up, going to the bathroom. He took a quick shower first and then, he prepared the bathtub, going inside the warm water. His whole body was tense and he released a deep, tired breath.

Since Kunimitsu dismissed him, two months had passed by. Fuji's time was split between work, traveling and having sex with men he would forget in a couple of hours. All the men were always like that. He touched his wet hair, pushing the bangs away from his forehead and he remembered Tezuka.

Since high school time, he was a constant on his life. Sometimes he wondered if things would be different if he wasn't the one who took the first step. Fuji was bored, Tezuka was in front of him on the last hours of the school's library. Syuusuke had a sudden urge to break that handsome façade, always so serious. He leaned forward, placing a small kiss on his mouth. Kunimitsu's whole face was deep red and the dark eyes looked at him like he was a ghost.

He smiled again remembering that moment.

Syuusuke thought that Tezuka was going to push him away and never look to his face again, but he was the one that was truly surprised at his reaction. He cupped his face with his large hands and kissed him deeply.

That prank resulted in a hurried and desperate first time on Kunimitsu's bedroom when his family was away over that weekend. They were 16 at the time and, at the end of that month, Fuji had taught him everything he needed to know to please him.

"Selfish, hm?" he said to himself, remembering Tezuka's words. Was he really selfish? Sometimes he would eavesdrop, unintentionally, the teenage girls of his class gossiping about their boyfriends and how sometimes they would do it without wanting to, just to spoil them and he felt proud. There was nothing but absolute desire every time their bodies met.

Even being with other people, Kunimitsu was the only one he would be during all those years, he was his steady place where he was sure he would find not only sex but comfort as well.

Tezuka was the only one who he would let inside his home, the only one he would share his real thoughts and preferences.

Syuusuke became irritated with the audacity of Kunimitsu. How dared he say being separated was for the best? He hadn't done anything wrong! During all that time Fuji never lied to him, there was a never a fake smile or sweet, deceivingly words to him. Wasn't that most important than anything? Knowing everything about someone else? Being the place someone would return to on their own free will?

"Stupid Kunimitsu." He whispered to himself, before putting his hand in front of his eyes.

#############

"Oishi-san!" Eiji arrived home happily. It was Thursday night and he had just returned from longer hours at college. Shuichirou already had dinner and was on his room, reading a book. The teenager appeared on the opened door. "I found a place for my part time job during summer!"

"Oh, is that right?" he said, putting the book aside and standing up. He was wearing one of his pajamas already. "Where it will be?"

"An Izakaya named Sakurai. It's a few blocks from college. They needed someone to help out with the food." He was excited. "The shift is from 7 to 11 p.m. I'll be working from Thursday to Sunday."

"A night bar?" he was worried. "Are you sure? Summer rains are going to start soon. Do you really want to be away from home at such hours?"

"It will be okay!" he smiled, trying to undo his concerned expression. "The therapy is really helping me out. The other day it seemed it was going to rain, but I didn't get so nervous like before."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Oishi looked at him seriously.

"Do you really need to find another part time job? Why don't you go stay with your parents? They're probably missing you, right? And you can help out at their store."

Eiji was a little surprised.

"But, I need to have different experiences. My college time is the period for doing such things. Their menu is good and I will learn a lot there."

"I see." He showed him a small smile.

"Don't worry, I won't let it interfere with my work!" the blue eyes were serious. I will continue to do delicious food for you!"

He chuckled, happy for Kikumaru's commitment towards him. The young doctor put his hand on his red hair and looked at him gently.

"I have no doubts about it."

Eiji grinned happily.

"Ah, don't forget we are meeting Haruka and Takumi this Saturday for the wedding clothes."

"Eh?! I'm going too?!"

"Of course. You're going to be at the party, right? You'll need a tuxedo." Oishi smiled, going to the kitchen to drink some water. "I'm sure you will be very handsome in one of those."

He noticed Kikumaru was quiet and his head was down.

"Eiji-kun, what's wrong?"

"I don't have the money to buy such a thing. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"What?" he looked at him, surprised.

"I'll buy it for you." Oishi smiled.

"No, no, no!" he came close, nervously. "I cannot let you do such a thing for me, Oishi-san! You already do so much!"

"But, you cannot go to the wedding in jeans and sneakers."

There was a deep frown on his forehead for a while, until he came up with an idea.

"Discount it from my salary!" he said, seriously. "Please!"

"Are you sure? There's really no need."

"I'm sure!" he made a deep reverence. "Please! I want to pay it back to you!"

"Yes, yes." He said, with a smile. Eiji could be extremely serious sometimes.

##########

Oishi woke up, feeling Kunimitsu's arms around him. They were facing each other and Tezuka continued to sleep. It was Saturday and still early in the morning. On those last months, they made it a habit for him to spend the weekends at Kunimitsu's apartment. The young doctor was always happy with the invitations.

He looked at his asleep face. It was almost surreal how he became even more handsome with the passing years. He smiled, remembering how many people at school feared Tezuka's stoic expression. He loved to see his traces so soft and relaxed, with a hint of pride for being the only one who could see it.

Shuichirou caressed his hair. He also noticed that Kunimitsu's touches had changed, he was more… caring? Yes, maybe caring was the word. Before, his touches on his body was always firm and tight, he would embrace him like been desperate. Maybe it was the desire he had to hold back when Fuji was not around.

But, now, his hands would caressed Oishi's face and body. His fingers would enlace on Shuichirou's while they were having sex, holding his hand tightly. He would kiss not only his mouth, but also his face, tenderly and would spread slow kisses on his skin.

Were his feelings changing? Shuichirou asked himself, while his thumb brushed on his cheek. Sometimes they wouldn't even have sex. They would just talk, eat and go to bed, kissing each other before falling asleep. And that was also okay. His chest was always warmed just staying by his side.

Oishi looked at the clock on the wall of his bedroom. It was almost 8 a.m. Shuichirou wanted to prepare breakfast for him and was about to stand up when Kunimitsu's grip around him was tighter and he touched his hair, his eyes still closed.

"Where are you going?" he said, in a sleepy voice.

"To the kitchen." Shuichirou smiled. "To prepare breakfast. Aren't you hungry?"

"Not yet." He hugged him tightly. "Stay here."

"Okay." He said, caressing his light hair. "But I cannot stay late."

"Why not?" he finally looked at him.

"I'm going to have lunch with a friend today. She's going to get marry and we're going to try clothes. Eiji-kun is going as well."

"Is that so?" his hand touched his back, a finger tracing his spine. "You're going to look good in a tuxedo."

"It's going to be on Isshiki Beach, July 6th, a Friday night."

"Are you spending the weekend there, then?" he asked, kissing his neck.

"Yes. I think Eiji-kun's going to enjoy himself at the beach, since he's going to work through summer break."

"Is that so?" he moved his body and was on top of Oishi's, looking at the green eyes.

"Do you still go to night bars? Eiji-kun's going to part time at one in Shibuya, called Sakurai. Do you know it?"

"Not exactly, but the name it's familiar." He kissed his face. "But it's been a while since I drank."

After breaking up with Fuji, he had no reasons to be frustrated and in need of alcohol anymore. He was peaceful.

Oishi touched his hair and brought him close to a deep kiss. His tongue touched Kunimitsu's and he moaned on his mouth. His hands caressed his body and was about to remove his pants when Shuichirou broke the kiss and looked at him gently.

"I really need to go. I'm sorry."

"That's okay."

"Can I come back tomorrow to spend the day?"

"I'm going to have a meeting early on Monday, so I will need to revise some papers. It's a tricky case."

"Ah, I see."

Kunimitsu caressed his face and placed a slow kiss on his mouth.

"Let's see each other before you go to the wedding. I will organize my schedule."

"Okay." He whispered, before they kissed again.

###########

Tezuka was organizing the dishes in the kitchen after Shuichirou had left. He had prepared a ham omelet and it was very tasty and fluffy. It was one of the easy recipes his college student was teaching him.

Kunimitsu wondered when they were able to see other again. He was going to spend the whole weekend away on a beach. He didn't really care for the sand or sea, but Shuichirou would be probably happy if he was invited. Couples used to do such a thing, right?

"A couple, hm?" he talked to himself. He had never imagine that he would be in such a normal relationship with someone.

Suddenly the name Sakurai came to his mind. Ah, yes, he remembered. That was the name of Fuji's favorite izakaya. He would meet him there from time to time, for a drink or food before heading to his place and Tezuka was a little surprised that his mind would still bring him fragments of his time with Syuusuke.


	18. Chapter 18

"Wow!" Eiji stopped in front of Blue Wave Inn with a shocked expression. The place was huge and so fancy! "Is that really yours, Kono-san?!"

Oishi drove them there, following Takumi and Haruka on their car.

"Isn't it nice?" Shuichirou asked with a smile, taking his bag and his outfit from the car on the parking space.

"Not mine, it's my parents'. And my older sister's too."

"You have an older sister?" he asked, surprised.

"She sure does." A young woman appeared on the door. She was wearing glasses with transparent frame. She had the same traits as Haruka, but her silver hair was short, on a straight cut over her shoulders and her eyes were in a darker tone and her expression was very serious. She was wearing an expensive dark green kimono with yellow flowers on the fabric. "Welcome to the Blue Wave Inn." She made a reverence.

"Always so serious, Hitomi-san." Takumi said, smiling at her.

"It's been a while, Hitomi-san." Shuichirou said, gently.

"Welcome, Oishi-sensei." She looked at Eiji. "Is he your guest?"

"Yes, this is Kikumaru Eiji." He smiled.

"Nice to meet you." He made a reverence.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Kono Hitomi." She replied politely. "Haruka, Tou-sama and Kaa-sama are waiting for you in the golden room. They prepared a special dinner for you, Harada-san and your guests."

"Why?" she complained. "I told them it was not necessary."

######

Eiji was looking around, amazed. Although it was a traditional building, the whole place was, certainly, high class. As soon as they entered the servants appeared and brought their luggage to their room.

They were following Hitomi through a long hallway until she opened the wide doors at the end of the corridor.

There was a beautiful low table filled with different sushi dishes. A short, middle aged man smile happily as seeing them. He had dark brown hair and golden eyes. The woman next to him was very beautiful too, with long silver hair tight on a braid and pink eyes. They were both wearing expensive traditional clothes.

"Haruka!" he said, when they came closer. "You're finally home!"

"Welcome home, Haruka." Her mother smiled gently as well.

"It's good to be back." She smiled at them, before sitting down.

"Takumi, you finally caught her, right?!" her father smiled. "Oishi-sensei, it's been a while! Oh, and who's this charming young man?" he asked, looking at Eiji. "Sit down, sit down!"

"Good to see you, Kono-san." Oishi smiled at him and to her mother. "Thank you for having us." The teenager sat by his side. "This is Kikumaru Eiji. He's a college student at Hattori Nutritional College. He's a friend."

"Oh, is that so?" he smiled at Eiji. "I'm Kono Hatsu. This is my wife, Yoshie. Nice to meet you, Kikumaru-kun."

"It's my pleasure." He made a reverence, a little embarrassed such high class people were talking to him so gently. "Thank you for having me."

"I'm going to return to work." Hitomi said, before leaving them and Eiji noticed that, even with the great resemblance with Haruka, their personality was very different.

"Takumi-san, sit closer!" her father said. "Let's drink! It's a happy day today! You finally brought my daughter home!"

"Yes, yes!" he obeyed, with a smile, sitting next to his fiancé.

Her father opened a big sake bottled that seemed very expensive, Kikumaru noticed. He poured it to his daughter, Takumi and himself.

"Oishi-san, would you accept some?" her mother asked, gently.

"No,thank you."

Eiji was observing everything quietly. They were such a warm family. His mind wondered a little bit, thinking about Masayuki and Chiho and their moments together as well.

"Eiji-kun?" Oishi's voice called him back.

"Ah, yes?"

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, gently. There was a beautiful sushi dish in front of him and he didn't even notice. The other people were already having dinner, while talking lively.

"Oh, sorry. Thank you!" he started to eat and the blue eyes sparkled. It was his first time he ate such delicious sushi.

"Good, right?" Shuichirou asked and the teenager moved his head affirmatively and excited.

"Ah, Tou-san." Haruka changed the topic of their conversation. "Is it okay for EIji-kun to take a look at our kitchen? He's studying to be a traditional chef."

"Is that so?!"

"Ye..yes!" he swallow his food quickly.

"He's very talented already." Takumi said gently. "His food is amazing."

"Would you like to meet our chef tomorrow, Kikumaru-san?" her mother asked. "Since it will be a busy day, there will be a lot of different dishes."

"Can I?!" Oishi could see his imaginary puppy tail wagging. "Really?!"

"Of course! You're our guest." Her father said, happily.

###########

"Aaaah!" Eiji hugged the pillow of his bed just after jumping on it. They were placed in one of the luxury rooms. "It's so soft!" he rolled one side of the other and Shuichirou smiled at his happiness. "I love this place already!"

"I really like in here as well." He smiled. "Let's prepare to sleep? It's going to be a busy day tomorrow. Do you want to go to the beach in the morning? We have time."

"I do!" he grinned happily.

"It's settled then." Oishi removed his shirt, looking at the night sky trough the opened back doors. The sky was filled with stars. "It's a beautiful night, right? I hope it's beautiful tomorrow as well. Takumi and Haruki deserve it."

The teenager looked at him for a moment.

"Hey, Oishi-san…"

"Yes?" he turned around.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, it's not my business at all, but… what happened between you and Kono-san? You guys are so close, why did you break up?"

He was little surprised by his question. He returned and sat by Eiji's side again, with a small smile.

"I cheated on her." The words left a bitter taste on his mouth.

"What?" he was really surprised.

"I was young and foolish. I really hurt her and I regret up to this day for making her cry. I wish I could go back in time and do things differently. I'm very grateful our friendship survived such a thing."

"Oishi-san…" he had no words.

"Even so, Haruka was extremely kind and told her parents she was the one who broke things off with me, so they wouldn't hate me." Eiji noticed the green eyes were filled with sorrow. "The day you said I was amazing, it really hurt, Eiji-kun, because you shouldn't think so highly of me. I'm a terrible person who hurt others. Sometimes I wonder if I really deserve to have Haruka and Takumi on my life, because…"

"You're wrong!" he grabbed Oishi's hand. "Oishi-san's not a bad person at all!"

"Eiji-kun…"

"You took me in when I had nowhere to go! I was just a stranger to you and you gave me food and a roof over my head! When I got the panic attack, you went all the way to Hattori and took care of me! You even carried me princess style!"

"Princess… style?"

Kikumaru blushed and lowered his head, the red bangs over his eyes.

"You said yourself you made a mistake! Everyone can make mistakes, the important thing is how you will repair what you have done to the people that matters to you. Kono-san and Takumi-san really care about you, so I'm sure they don't think anything bad about you!"

The grasp of his smaller hand over his became tighter.

"I was afraid, hungry, alone and away from home. Oishi-san rescued me. You gave me so much when I had nothing." He looked at him and the blue eyes were terribly serious. "So, do not say such bad things about yourself!"

Shuichirou looked at his determined expression, being sure he meant every single one of those words. He caressed his flushed face and smiled, feeling extremely grateful for having him on his life.

"Thank you so much, Eiji-kun."


	19. Chapter 19

Eiji woke up and sat down, sleepy. He looked at the other side and Oishi was still deep asleep under the sheets. He smiled, before quietly getting up. He was still wearing his pajamas, with a grey t-shirt and dark grey shorts.

Going to the back porch, he opened it slowly, not wanting to disturb Shuichirou. It was the perfect day outside. The skies were clear blue with no clouds.

"Good morning, Eiji-kun." Takumi said, with a smile. He was on the next back porch, with a cup of coffe on his hands.

"Ah!" he was surprised. "Takumi-san, good morning!"

"Did you sleep well?" he was wearing long pajama pants with a white tank top shirt. The lean muscles on his arms were showing.

"Yes!"

"Good." He took another sip from his coffee.

"Isn't Kono-san with you?"

"She's with her sister. Her parents are old school, so we're being respectful. Is Shuichirou still asleep?"

"I think he was tired, he worked a lot this week. Are you excited?" Eii asked, with a smile. "You're going to be a groom tonight!"

He showed him a nervous smile.

"I'm trying my best to keep calm."

"Why?" Eiji got closer, worried.

"Because I'm getting married with the love of my life. I don't want to screw up."

"You and Kono-san know each other for a long time, right?"

"Yes, I was born around here, just like her. We've always been together since then, being on the same school as well. I lived here with my parents and my grandmother until middle school when we moved to Tokyo due to my father's job. But… when I was about to enter in high school, we got in a car accident. A truck slid on the snowy roads and destroyed my parents' car." He lifted his shirt a little, showing him a deep scar on the side of his torso. "My parents died instantly and I had two broken ribs, one of them perforated my lung and I spent a long time on the hospital."

"I'm so sorry."

"I came back here to live with my grandmother and Haru was always around. She tried her best, but I just didn't want to live anymore. I barely ate or left the house. I almost failed in school due to absences. Haru would come every day, but I didn't even talk to her. She had enough after a couple of months and grabbed my t-shirt, screaming at my face: You're alive! You've the obligation of being happy, for your parents' sake! Do not waste this second chance!, she said, while crying. It was the first time I cried as well." He looked at his reflection on the coffee. "From that day on, I was able to breathe properly again."

Eiji continued to look at him, giving him his full attention.

"I was a coward, so I kept quiet about my feelings for a long time after I acknowledge them. I was an orphan and she was a rich, perfect and intelligent heiress." He smiled at the memories. "I watched silently went she got a boyfriend on high school and then, later, on college as well. I worked very hard so we could study together at the same place and we wouldn't be apart." He looked at Eiji with a smile. "I finally reunite courage and was going to confess, but then, my grandmother was ill and I had to take a leave of absence from college. Haru came to visit sometimes at the hospital and she stayed with me to help with the funeral. Before she returned to Tokyo, she told me about dating Shuichirou. The only think I could think about was: that's it. I lost her for good, that guy is perfect just like her."

"Did you confess after they broke up?"

"Nope. Still a coward. Haru was the one who took the initiative. And I blurted things out from my chest like a stupid teenager. She was so shocked, but then she just laugh at my clumsy words." He grinned happily. "I'm just a lucky fool."

"I think you guys are great together." Kikumaru said gently. "The way you care for each other, it really shows."

"Thank you, Eiji-kun." He smiled happily. "You should go have breakfast. The food is amazing here. Are you going to the beach?"

"Yes! I'm waiting for Oishi-san."

"Shake that old man, otherwise he will sleep his day in." he finished his coffee. "I have to go now, to see my lovely bride. See you later, enjoy yourself."

"See you later, Takumi-san!"

############

"It's enough, Oishi-san!" the teenager whined, wanting to go to the water soon. They were on the beach, under a big parasol and the doctor was applying sunscreen on his shoulders.

"Wait a minute, I need to cover it properly, otherwise you will get sunburn."

"But!"

"Close your mouth." he smiled, before gently applying and spreading the white cream on his face as well. "Okay, you're good to go."

"Yeah!"

Shuichirou watched when he ran off to the sea and dived happily. It took a while for Eiji to return to the surface. The fluffy red hair was glued to his forehead and he waved happily to Oishi.

"Do not go too far!" the doctor shouted.

"Yes!" Eiji shouted back, before swimming away.

Oishi sat down on the beach lounger and took a deep, satisfied breath. It was such a nice day. In a few hours they were going to have dinner with Haruka and Takumi and start to get ready to the ceremony.

He picked up his cell phone, took a picture of the beautiful landscape and sent it to Tezuka.

###########

Kunimitsu was at his office at work. Since he was free on that weekend, he used the time to revise some documents. Also, there was going to be a renovation on his law firm and he would have to work from home for at least a couple of those first days.

His cell phone vibrated and he picked up, opening the conversation. Shuichirou had sent him a photo of the beach with the sentence "I wished you were here."

His expression softened a little. He would definitely invite him over to a short trip in the next holiday.

Suddenly he heard steps outside his office and found it strange. No one was supposed to be there besides him.

He put his head out on the opened door and was surprised.

"Syuusuke?"

"Kunimitsu?" Fuji was there, in casual clothes, with a measure tape on his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here." He walked towards him. "What about you?"

"My firm is going to do some renovations at this place. So I came to take some pictures and measurements to start some drafts."

"Is that so?" he was really surprised.

"Isn't that strange?" Syuusuke smiled. "After so many years, I had no idea where your workplace was and now we're going to see other with some frequency."

"I've never told you, so it's not your fault."

"I apologize in advance. You told me you didn't want to see me anymore, so…"

"Do not apologize, there's no need. You're just doing your work."

"Well, I will continue with the measurements. Have a nice day." He said, before turning his back and going to the other hallway.


	20. Chapter 20

Eiji was in front of the big mirror in the changing room, trying to fix his bow tie. It was purple and Haruka had chosen for him, saying he would be cute. He was already wearing his black tuxedo.

"Why is this so difficult?!" he complained, trying to do it for the 100th time. He had look internet tutorials on how to do it. "Oishi-san, save me!"

"Yes, yes." Oishi appeared from the other dressing room. He was extremely handsome with his black tuxedo. He was also wearing a purple tie, but a regular one. He was in front of Eiji and smiled gently at him. "There we go, all set."

Kikumaru grinned happily.

"Do I look good?"

"You look very sharp." Shuichirou said gently.

"I'm going to send a selfie to Chiho-nee!" he said, picking up his cell phone.

"Do not take long, people were already called to the saloon."

"Okay!"

Oishi got into the other dressing room and Takumi was there, looking at his own reflection on the mirror. He was wearing a traditional groom attire, with a black outer layer and haori and dark grey hakama. His dark brown hair was tight on a discreet ponytail and the scarlet eyes were very apprehensive.

"Look at you." Shuichirou got close and fixed his friend's collar, smiling at him. "You look all grown up. The most charming husband to be. Haruka's one lucky lady."

He chuckled at his friend's joke.

"Thank you." He looked at him kindly. "For everything."

"Don't mention it." The green eyes were gentle. "There's no one else who would take better care of her. So, my heart is at ease."

Eiji appeared on the room with a big smile.

"Let's go?!"

"Yes." Takumi said, happily.

###########

"You're perfect." Haruka's mother said, holding her hands. "Takumi-san will definitely cry."

She smiled, the golden eyes filled with happiness.

"Tou-san, are you crying?" she looked at Hatsu and he his eyes were filled with tears.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time already! But, still, my little girl is leaving me!"

"I'm not." She stood up carefully. "I'm just dragging Takumi into the family."

There was a brief knock on the door and Hitomi appeared.  
"You look very beautiful, Haruka." She looked at her sister with a discreet smile. "Let's go? Everyone is waiting already."

Her father offered his arm to her and she hugged it happily.

#######

"Does it usually take so long?" Takumi whispered to Oishi. They were already in front of the priest. Eiji was sitting in the first row. There were a lot of people, friends and business partners of Haruka's family.

"Breathe, Takumi." He whispered gently. "Everything is okay."

Suddenly everyone stood up and looked at the entrance hall. Takumi's heart skipped a beat when finally seeing his wife to be.

Haruka was wearing a beautiful bridal kimono with multiple layers, the outer one being white with pink and purple morning glories all over the fabric. Her long silver hair was tight on a bun and arranged with white laces. There was a soft reddish gloss on her lips. She was completely stunning and even Shuichirou was overwhelmed.

"Take good care of her." Hatsu said when they were in front of Takumi. He was on the edge of tears.

"I will!" he responded sincerely. His nervousness had finally vanished completely. "I promise you!"

Haruka smiled. She looked at him and whispered "You're so handsome", before they faced the priest and the ceremony finally started.

##########

Shuichirou smiled, gently putting the covers over Eiji. He was dead asleep, his limbs all over the bed. It was almost 2 in the morning when they returned to their room and the party still continued. Oishi was happy the teenager had a lot of fun, he deserved it.

The young doctor was already on his pajamas and about to go to bed as well when there was a soft knock on his door. He found it a little strange, but smile after opening it.

"Haruka."

"Hello." She was still wearing her wedding outfit. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." he let her enter. They were talking in a low voice not to wake Eiji up. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I just wanted to talk to you properly, since it was crazy out there." She took a deep breath, before sitting down on his bed. "This thing is so heavy!"

"Beauty hurts." He sat by her side. "And you're absolutely lovely, Haruka."

"Thank you. You and Eiji-kun were very handsome as well. Did he enjoy himself?"

"Very much. He's totally in love with your sushi."

She giggled.

"You guys are traveling tomorrow morning to Hawaii, right?" her parents had given them the honeymoon trip as a wedding gift.

"Yes, we're not probably seeing each other anymore before we leave. But, you and Eiji-kun can stay as long as you like. My parents were very happy on seeing you. He didn't have a chance to go to the kitchen and meet our chef, right? He can do it tomorrow."

"I really appreciate it." He held her hand. "So, how does it feel? You're a wife now."

"It's terrifying." She smiled. "There are so many things that are expected. People were already asking about children, can you believe it? So invasive! Takumi almost died out of embarrassment."

Oishi chuckled.

"Do you guys want kids?"

"Not now. I was finally able to bring him back from the sea. I want to enjoy it." The golden eyes were filled with love. "But I definitely want to share this with him someday."

"You two are going to be excellent parents."

"Thank you, Shuichirou." She leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Can I stay here for a moment? I'm so tired and we still have to prepare our luggage. Tou-san is still drinking downstairs with some guests."

"Of course." He kissed her forehead.

############

Eiji stretched himself under the covers and scratched his belly with a big yawn.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Oishi smiled at him. Kikumaru sat down and looked at the doctor. There was a big breakfast tray on the room's table and he was sitting next to it, eating a little.

"Good morning, Oishi-san." He rubbed his eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

He shook his head affirmatively.

"Hitomi-san came over to deliver the breakfast and she said if you want to meet the chef, you can stop by the kitchen.

"Really?!" his sleep disappeared instantly and he jumped from the bed. "Can I really go?!"

"Of course."

"Yeah!" he was already very excited.

"Come, let's have breakfast."

"Oishi-san, but what about you?" he sat down across from him. "I don't want to let you alone all day."

"I have a book I've planning to read for a while; I will do it on the beach. Don't worry. Enjoy yourself."

"Okay." He grinned happily.

##########

"Kikumaru-san, this is Takahiro-san." Hitomi introduced Eiji to a middle aged man. He was wearing a dark blue chef's outfit. He was very thin and tall with a gentle expression. "Takahiro-san, this is Kikumaru Eiji-kun. He was one of Haruka's guest and he is studying to be a chef. She said he's very talent, so would like you to spend the day with him here if it's possible."

"Is that so?" Takahiro-san said, with interest. "What kind of food are you passionate about?"

"Japanese food. My parents have an udon shop in Osaka."

"It's always good to see young people interested in traditional food. Most of them nowadays only mind about the sophisticated international stuff." He went to a small cabinet and took a white chef's jacket together with a black headwrap and gave it to him.

"What's this?"

"If Haruka-chan says you're talent, you must be." He smiled. "So I'm putting you to work. Come and help me with the buffet for lunch."

"Really?!" he smiled widely.

"Enjoy yourself, Kikumaru-san" Hitomi said, kindly, before living the place.

###########

Oishi returned to his room after spending the day at the beach reading. He only returned for lunch and was very surprise to see Eiji with the kitchen staff. He waved at him happily before returning to his chores and Shuichirou was glad he was able to enjoy himself.

They were going to return to Tokyo at night, around 8 p.m, so they could have some rest for Monday.

The young doctor smiled to the beautiful landscape, before texting Eiji and told him to call him in the room for dinner before they leave.

He returned from the shower and put on some clothes, before laying down again. His book was good and he wanted to continue to read it, until Eiji was back.

############

"The weather changed so quickly." Takahiro said, looking through the windows. The skies were very dark and it had started to rain. The trees outside were shook by the powerful winds.

They had finished cooking the menu for dinner and the staff was getting the food ready for the night buffet. Eiji was helping with some beef that would be grilled shortly, cutting it into steaks.

"It sure has." He said, trying to hide his nervousness. He avoided looking outside and was trying his best to concentrate on his task. He silently was trying to breath like his therapist had taught him. "_I will be okay if there are no thunders. I will be okay._"

"Kikumaru-kun, you're free to go after finishing with that meat." Takahiro said, with a gentle smile. "You're very talented indeed and you already know your way around a professional kitchen well. Everyone liked to work with you. If you come by again, please, help us one more time."

He was overwhelmed by his words.

"Thank you so much, Takahiro-san!" he made a quick reverence. He wanted to return to his room as soon as possible to tell it to Oishi.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt crossed the skies and Eiji's whole body trembled. The power at the hotel was off in the same second the thunder crashed, but it returned almost immediately.

"Wow, that was a big one, right?" Takahiro-san said, but his expression changed completely when seeing the blood coming from his hand. He had cut three of his fingers. "Kikumaru-kun, you're hurt!"

Eiji looked at his wound, feeling unplugged from the reality. He saw the chef coming close with a towel, pressing it to his hand, but everything was moving so slow. The only thing he could feel was his heart and breathing falling on him while his hand was throbbing.

##########

"Eiji-kun!" Oishi entered the medical room in a rush. Someone from the front desk had called his room. He had fallen asleep while reading his book. Eiji was sitting on a bench and Hitomi was just finishing bandaging his injured hand. His head was down and the red bangs were over his face. "What happened?!"

"Sorry for scaring you, Oishi-sensei." Hitomi said, calmly. "Kikumaru-san hurt himself while in the kitchen. Fortunately no stitches are going to be needed and the bleeding is controlled already." besides her job as the inn's manager, Haruka's older sister was also a certified nurse.

"Eiji-kun, how did this happen?" he asked, worried, coming close to him.

"I'm sorry." Eiji whispered sadly, not being able to face Oishi.

"The power was off because of the rain for a second, the knife probably slip."

"I'm sorry." He repeated and Hitomi looked at him kindly.

"It was not your fault, Kikumaru-san. Please, do not apologize." She looked at Shuichirou. "Takahiro-san gave him the first aid, unfortunately he had to solve some things regarding dinner time, but he will apologize for you as soon as possible, Oishi-sensei, since he was under our care."

"There's no need. I know Eiji-kun was having fun with the opportunity. I'm the one who needs to say thank you for your care towards him."

"I'm sorry." He finally looked up to Hitomi and his face was filled with sorrow.

"You should go to rest now, Kikumaru-san." She stood up and said, gently. "I put some ointment for the pain and the dressing doesn't need to be changed until tomorrow."

"We were planning to return to Tokyo tonight." Oishi said.

"unfortunately this will not be possible. Some trees had fallen on the road because of the winds, many people will have to spend the night as well."

"I understand."

"Thank you very much, Kono-san." Eiji said, with a reverence.

"I need to go now, if you need anything, please, contact us at the front desk." She showed them a small smile. " At anytime."

##########

Oishi was bothered by Eiji's deep silence while they crossed the hallways and entered their room. He was holding his bandaged hand close. Only one bed side table lamp was lit.

"Eiji-kun…"

Another lighting glistering on the stormy landscape and when the thunder fell, Oishi noticed how his narrow shoulders were trembling.

Kikumaru sat on his bed and remained there quietly. Shuichirou sat by his side.

"Eiji-kun, are you in pain? Can you tell me what happened?"

"A thunder crashed and my mind shut down for a second." He finally looked at him and the dark blue eyes were filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." Shuichirou said, gently. "It was an accident. It was not your fault."

"I'm really trying my best." a big, serious tear ran down his face. "I'm really trying to be okay."

"Eiji-kun…"

"I… don't want to give…Oshi-san any more problems, but… I…" more tears started to fall and he sobbed, unable to find more words. He couldn't hide his fear anymore.

Another thunder echoed on the room and he grabbed his shirt, like it was painful to try to breathe over his fear.

Oishi felt terribly sorry for him and hugged him tightly.

"It's okay, Eiji-kun. It's too soon already. You don't have to deal with this by yourself. It's okay."

Eiji grabbed his shirt with his free hand and his forehead was on Shuichirou's chest. His whole body was shaking.

"I'm here with you." His voice was extremely kind and he rubbed his smaller back, just like he used to do with his young patients when they were afraid. "You're not alone."

The storm continued for a couple of hours and Shuichirou never let go of Eiji during all the thunders that had fallen. On that stormy night, Oishi's kind words and warmth were able to sooth his heart and Eiji fell asleep hugging the young doctor close.


	21. Chapter 21

"_So warm._" The thought crossed Eiji's mind while the blue eyes were still closed. He could hear the soft tap of the raindrops on the windows. It was almost 7 a.m and the storm had transformed into a calm drizzle.

He felt so safe and relaxed. There was also a familiar scent close. Eiji opened his eyes slowly and tiredly.

"_Ah… it's Oishi-san's scent._" He said to himself when noticing his head was on his chest and his strong arms were around him. Even though it was a wide bed, he was holding Eiji close.

Kikumaru was still very sleepy, so he just kept looking to Shuichirou's handsome face.

"_My heart… is peaceful._" There was a sudden need to caress his cheek and Eiji stretched his bandaged hand, his fingertips almost touching his mouth when the doctor moved a little, still asleep.

Eiji realized what he was about to do and his heart raced suddenly. He felt extremely embarrassed and blushed deeply, feeling his whole face burning. He panicked and slid quickly away from Shuichirou, until falling off the bed.

"Ouch!" luckily he remembered his injuried hand and held it close to his body, protecting it.

"Eiji-kun?" Oishi finally woke up and sat down worried, looking at him. "Eiji-kun, what happened?!"

"No…nothing." He tried to hide it, standing up quickly, but his back was hurting a lot. "I'm fine."

"What about your hand? Did you hurt it?!" Oishi tried to touch his arm to take a look at his injury, but Eiji retrieved his limb abruptly, surprising him.

"Eiji-kun?" he noticed he was extremely tense.

"I'm… I'm okay! I'm going to take a shower!" he said, before entering the bathroom in hard and fast steps.

Closing the door, Eiji leaned on it and he could feel his heart trembling inside his chest.

"_What the hell just happened?!_" he screamed on his mind, looking at his injured hand.

#########

"How was your day today?" Shuichirou asked Eiji gently. His head was low and the red bangs were over his eyes.

They were on Kikumaru's room. It was Thursday night. The doctor had arrived from work and was checking his bandage.

Since the roads were still closed in the morning, they could only return to Tokyo at lunch time. Shuichirou had sent a message to the hospital and they found someone to replace him, since the storm made some damages on the city as well.

The trip back home was silent and awkward and the days continued like that. Shuichirou would always try to make him talk, but Eiji avoided making eye contact with him and would only say the most necessary things. Every night after work Oishi would take care of his wound but he continued terribly quiet.

"It was okay." He responded dryly.

"Look, it's all healed now." He said with a kind smile. "It's a pity there's a scar, but I think it will fade away." There was a vertical scar crossing his pinky, ring finger and middle finger in a straight line."

"Thank you." He said, before standing up and going to the kitchen. He started to take some food from the fridge when Shuichirou arrived.

"Eiji-kun, what are you doing?"

"Dinner." He said, without looking at him. "We've been eating take outs because of my injury, but I can cook again now."

"Hey, there's no need to rush into it." Oishi touched his shoulder but he turned around quickly, distancing himself. "Eiji-kun?"

"To cook for you it's my job. I've already failed on you the past days, but I will do it properly. You can even discount from my salary, it's okay."

Shuichirou didn't recognize that upset look on his face.

"You were hurt. I would never discount from your salary, it was an accident. Why are you acting like this? It's not like you at all, being so gloomy and silent. Please, tell me what's going on."

"I'm fine." He said, turning his back on him again. "I'm going to prepare grilled chicken, is that okay?"

"It sounds good." His voice was extremely sad and Eiji's heart was tight inside his chest. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be back soon."

"Okay."

#########

"What's wrong?" Tezuka asked, worried. It was Friday night and he had invited Oishi to spend the weekend. He had cooked pasta with shrimps but the young doctor was just looking at the food for a while, with no more interest. "Is it bad?"

"Ah." He was a little surprised. "I'm sorry. My mind just wandered for a bit. The food is very good." He ate a little more, but Kunimitsu knew something was off.

"What's troubling you?"

"Nothing, I'm okay." He showed a small smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, I won't bother you with my problems. I'll bear with it until Haruka comes back."

Tezuka looked at him seriously for a moment, before getting up, leaving his unfinished meal behind.

Shuichirou noticed there was a slight frown on his forehead when he crossed the living room to his room.

"Tezuka?" he entered his bedroom.

"I'm going to take a shower." He said, already taking off his clothes.

Kunimitsu turned the shower on and entered inside the warm water. He watched the water dripping from his long bangs before Shuichirou's arms were around his torso and he placed a small kiss between his shoulder blades.

"You didn't have to come." He said, turning around and facing him.

"I upset you, right? I'm sorry."

"I'm also capable of listening to you. You don't have to hold back."

"I'm sorry." He kissed him. "I'm just… worried about Eiji-kun."

"What happened?"

"It's complicated." He held his hands and kissed him again. "But, I really appreciate you wanting to listen to me."

Tezuka cupped his face and kissed him deeply, his body pressed on his. His voice was serious but gentle.

"If you are troubled, rely on me as well."

Shuichirou was really touched by his words. They kissed for a long time under the warm water until Oishi picked up the soap near and his soapy hand was on Tezuka's erection. His tongue swept on Kunimitsu's lips before nibbling it. His larger hands slid on his wet back and he started to tease Shuichirou with his fingers while their mouths continued to devour each other. Tezuka was already throbbing and painful when Shuichirou put his hands on his hips and turned around, giving him permission.

His whole body trembled when Kunimitsu bound their bodies. He had a tight grip on his waist. His chest was glued to his back when he started to move and he could hear Tezuka's deep breathing on his ear, together with the sound of the falling water.

###########

Eiji arrived home late from college. He was staying way behind his regular time to avoid Shuichirou. Since he was not able to participate on the practical classes, he tried to study the theorical parts, but his mind was always invaded by the memories of that morning on the hotel and he would be totally useless.

He turned on the entrance lights after removing his shoes and looked around. It was extremely silent. Had Oishi gone to bed earlier?

Silently he went to the doctor's room and it was empty. Picking up his cell phone, he saw the message he had sent a couple of hours ago, saying he would spend the weekend away. He was probably with his girlfriend.

Eiji returned to the living room and sat down, releasing a deep, tired breath. At least, on the next days, he wouldn't have to see him and feel so terribly embarrassed.

He looked at the scar on his fingers and remembered the heartbroken expression of the young doctor on the day before. Eiji felt his eyes filling up with tears. He was only giving Oishi problems, even after he had done so much for him. He had put a strong façade about his trauma that crumbled it completely in front of him again. He clung on Shuichirou like a pathetic, crying baby that couldn't take care of himself.

Lowering his head, he felt the serious tears rolling down his face. What was that feeling that spread on his chest while they shared a bed on that horrible storm night? Why did he felt so safe inside Oishi's embrace? Why did he want to touch him like that?

He put his trembling hands on his face, trying to hold back his silent cry.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked himself, between sobs, feeling extremely lonely on that empty and dark apartment.

He wished Shuichirou would come home soon. He missed his gentle hand petting his hair and the green eyes while telling him everything was going to be okay.


	22. Chapter 22

The dark blue eyes opened suddenly when hearing the baby's cry. It was still early in the morning. Eiji looked at the familiar ceiling and took a deep, tired breath. He had traveled to Osaka on the night before and arrived at his home very late, surprising his parents.

He went straight to his room and slept like a rock. Eiji couldn't stand to stay on Shuichirou's apartment by himself with all the turmoil on his heart and mind.

Getting up from the bed, he crossed the hallway and arrived in the kitchen. Chiho smiled at him, she was holding Haruki and the little girl was already silently drinking from her bottle.

"Good morning, Eiji." Chiho said, before he sat down by her side on the table.

"Good morning." He looked at Masayuki, he was at the stove finishing to make breakfast. "Good morning, Masa-nii."

Chiho and Masayuki looked at each other, worried. It was like all of Eiji's energy had disappeared.

"Were you able to sleep well?" his father asked.

"You really scared us. We thought something had happened."

He lowered his head.

"I'm sorry for bothering you and coming like that."

"What are you talking about, this is your home, you don't need permission to come." Masayuki came to the table with three plates with omelet on them and put it in front of Eiji, Chiho and to himself. When he returned, he brought a big bowl of rice and another one of salad and placed it on the middle of the table before sitting down across from his son.

Haruki finished her bottle and Chiho put the baby on her shoulder, patting her back so she could burp.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm just tired from college." He said, picking up his hashi. "Thank you for the food."

He started to eat and his parents looked concerned at each other again.

"How about your boss?" Chiho asked. "Is everything all right between you two?"

"Everything is fine." He responded, without looking at her, feeling horrible for lying to his mother.

"Is it okay to come like this? Don't you cook for him on weekends?"

"He was out for the weekend. But I'll be back Sunday night, so it's all right."

Chiho stood up, carrying the baby.

"I'm going to put Haruki back to sleep."

She whispered to her husband "Talk to him!" without Eiji noticing, before leaving to the baby's room.

"Eiji, how are things at college?" he asked, before eating some rice.

"Fine." He answered, eating a piece of the omelet.

"We were very proud with your first report card, filled with A's. You were always a good student." he smiled gently.

"Thank you." He said, without any emotion.

"Hey, let's take a walk with Haruki? It's still early and the sun is good for her."

"Isn't her time to take a nap now?" he finally looked at him.

"We can take the stroller. She will be fine. Finish your breakfast."

"Okay." He returned to eat.

###########

Shuichirou woke up when the gentle sunlight entered Kunimitsu's room from a small gap on his dark curtains. He looked to the other side and the bed was empty. He could hear the sounds on the kitchen indicating Tezuka was already preparing their breakfast and smiled to himself

He picked up his cell phone from the bedside table and smiled happily when seeing Haruka's message with a picture of her and Takumi at the beach, saying they would be home on the next day.

Suddenly, the green eyes were wide in surprise, when reading Eiji's message. Tezuka was entering the room with a tray when noticed his expression.

"Did something happen?"

"Eiji-kun went to Osaka!" he was still looking at the message.

"He's from there, right?" he asked, sitting by his side after placing the breakfast tray near him.

"He went there without talking to me!" he looked at Kunimitsu shocked. "He never did such a thing!"

"Isn't he coming back?"

"No… he…" he looked at the message again. "He's coming back tomorrow night."

"So things are okay, right?" he said, before drinking a cup of juice. "He's not a child. You shouldn't worry so much."

Shuichirou looked at him and felt a little annoyed for his lack of understanding, but before he could explain, Tezuka offered him a bowl with some chopped fruits.

"Let's have breakfast and stay in bed until lunch time. I want to take you somewhere today."

"Okay." He picked up the bowl and started to eat, with a small fork. Putting his cell phone aside again, he couldn't avoid feeling frustrated and worried.

#########

"What a beautiful day, right?" Masayuki said with a smile. They were walking on a park near their home. He was pushing Haruki's stroller and the baby was sleeping peacefully inside of it.

"I guess so." Eiji said, the blue eyes lost somewhere.

"I remember when we used to come here to play hide and seek with you. Do you remember when you hid on the top of the tree near the lake and made Chiho cry because she couldn't find you?" he laughed at the memory but his son continued quiet. "Let's sit for a while."

"We only walked 15 minutes."

"Yeah, but I'm an old man already." He sat down in a bench, putting the baby's stroller in front of him.

Eiji sat by his side and looked at his sister. There was a finally a small smile on his face.

"She's so big already." He caressed her dark green hair. "I wonder what will she think when she's older."

"About what?"

"About me." Masayuki noticed the sadness on the blue eyes. "I wonder if she will like me."

"What are you talking about? Of course she will. You're her big brother. You even have a picture of her on the screen of your phone. I'll probably be jealous when she's older. You're so much cooler than me when I was your age."

Kikumaru felt his throat tight with his father's loving words. He touched Haruki's small fingers gently.

"It's so easy being this young. Not a care in the world."

"It sure is."

A soft wind blew and moved the trees around them and their hairs as well. Eiji leaned his back on the bench and looked up, closing his eyes, letting the sun touch his face. He took a deep breath and it felt like it was the first time he was able to breathe properly in a long time.

"Eiji?"

"Yes, Masa-nii?"

"Are you suffering with unrequited love?"

"What?!" he was shocked and finally looked at him. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Because you're extremely troubled and in low spirits, so I just took a shot."

"There's nothing like this going on!" he blushed deeply.

"Why don't you tell me what's happening with you, then? I know something is not right with you."

"I told you already." He faked a smile, lowering his head. "I'm just tired and…"

Masayuki touched his fluffy red.

"Do not lie to me." His voice was serious. "You're still my kid and I'm still your father. You may be all grown up but I can tell when you're hurt, Eiji. Please… tell me what happened to you."

A long time passed until Eiji was able to speak again. He was trying his best to not cry in front of his father.

"I'm… I'm still struggling with the storms."

"Is that so?"

"Therapy helped for last time, I was able to breathe properly for a little time, but after a while, I crumbled completely again."

"You know, Chiho was really worried about it. The two times there was a summer storm. The second time was even worse and I had to literally stay in front of the door so she wouldn't go after you."

"What?" he looked at him surprised.

"I told her you were probably doing fine, since you didn't say anything about it and that she would probably embarrass you showing up out of nowhere." Eiji noticed the pain in the copper eyes. "I'm sorry you had to deal with things by yourself. I should've been more careful. I should've call or check on you."

"There's nothing to apologize, Masa-nii. I was the one who hid things; I didn't want to worry you guys. You two already have so much on your plate."

"Did the panic attacks created problems for you on college?"

"Fortunately, it did not. But…." His voice trembled a little. "It was a hassle for Oishi-san. He had to take care of me both times it happened."

"He did?"

He placed his hand between both hands curling up his body.

"Why do I have to be so weird?"

"You're not weird, Eiji." He smiled, rubbing his back. "You're just struggling with something. Most of people are. People with depression, anxiety and other emotional issues, none of them are weird."

"But!" he looked at him and the blue eyes were glistering with tears.

"And this Oishi guy sounds like a good person if he's taking care of you. Even being just your boss."

Eiji was surprised for a moment, before responding excitedly.

"Oishi-san is the best!"

Masayuki chuckled.

"Is that so?"

He moved his head positively and quickly.

"That's good, then. But, I think it's normal for him, taking care of someone. You said he's a doctor, right?"

"Normal?" Eiji's heart hurt the possibility. Was Oishi taking care of him just because of his job? Did he felt… obligated to do it?

Suddenly Haruki started to complain on the stroller. Eiji picked her up and caressed her dark green hair.

"What's it, Haru-chan?" he smiled at her, the copper eyes looking at him curiously before smiling back at him.

"See? I told you she likes you already."

"Is that right?" he made a funny face to his sister.

"Let's go? She will probably be fussy from sleep soon."

"Can I push her on the way back?" he said, before putting the baby back on the stroller.

"Of course." Masayuki smiled.

When they were about to return home, he put his hand in his son's shoulder.

"Eiji, we're here for you, okay? Whenever you need. Just call or come back home. Don't forget about it."

"Thank you so much, Masa-nii." He finally smiled sincerely.


	23. Chapter 23

Eiji took a deep breath and removed his arm in front of his face. He had helped his parents with the udon shop and went to bed after 4 a.m., but, even though he was terribly tired, he still couldn't sleep properly. Looking to the alarm clock on the dresser, it was almost 1 p.m. already. His father's words keep coming to his mind.

Was Oishi only that kind with him because he was a doctor? Because he felt like a duty?

Did he really spend the night hugging him so tightly because of his job?

"I'm probably nothing but a problematic brat for him." He said to himself, before turning around and hugging his pillow tightly, feeling incredibly sad.

Suddenly his stomach started to growl and he was annoyed with the need of leaving his bed.

He stood up and was crossing the hallways to go to the kitchen when Chiho saw him. She was sitting on the sofa with Masayuki.

"Ah, Eiji!" she had a big smile on her face. "You're up! Come here, come here!"

"Yes, Chiho-nee?" he asked, uninterested, coming close to them.

"We have something for you." Masayuki said, giving him a plastic bag with a small box inside.

"What is it?" he asked, opening slowly.

Chiho and Masayuki smiled at each other when Eiji finally found the wireless headphone set. It had a red out layer and it was black on the inside.

"A headphone?"

"It's a noise cancelling headphone!" Chiho said, excitedly. "It will help you with the thunders."

"What do you mean?" the blue eyes were wide in surprise.

"Chiho and I talked about what you've told me and we researched a little. Back then, the doctor said your panic attacks were trigged by the thunder sound, so we bought it for you." He said, gently. "It's not a fix, but it can at least help you to deal with it."

"I cannot accept it!" he said, nervously. "It must be expensive! You shouldn't be spending such money with me!"

"What are you talking about?" Chiho smiled at him. "Our hands are tied since you're in Tokyo now, but this much we can do. I'm sorry we didn't think about this sooner."

"Chiho-nee…" he looked at his father. "Masa-nii… I…"

"Isn't cute?" Masayuki stood up and placed it around his son's neck with a smile. "It matches your hair."

"Thank you!" he hugged his parents tightly. "Thank you so much, both of you!"

##########

Oishi opened his eyes heavely. He was naked on Tezuka's bed. He looked at Kunimitsu and he was deep asleep and Shuichirou felt guilty. He was worried and frustrated for the whole day and he used sex as an attempt to divert his thoughts about Eiji's behavior towards him.

Looking at the clock, it was almost 8 p.m. It was the time Eiji said he would arrive at the station. He had sent him a message after lunch time. He needed to go home and wait for him.

He sat down slowly, not wanting to disturb Kunimitsu, but when he heard the sound of the strong rain, he stood up from the bed quickly, opening the curtains. Oishi's heart raced when seeing the lighting, before the thunder echoed on the apartment, waking Tezuka as well.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sleepy, sitting down and seeing Shuichirou dressing in a hurry.

"I need to go!" he said, putting his shirt on.

"You can't go now, look at the rain." He said, calmly, totally unaware of Oishi's desperation. Kunimitsu held his hand gently. "Wait a little more so…"

"I need to go!" the green eyes looked at him seriously and Tezuka was surprised when he removed his hand from his abruptly. It was the first time Shuichirou raised his voice towards him. "I will talk to you later, I'm sorry!"

He left the room and the apartment in fast, hard steps and before Kunimitsu could say anything else, he heard the door being closed.

##########

Eiji was quietly sitting inside the train station. He looked at his cell phone and it was almost 9 p.m. He could see the rain falling through the glass panels. He was using his new headphones and found it incredibly how they actually worked.

"_I really can't hear anything._" He thought to himself. One of his favorite songs was playing on his cell phone and it isolated him from all the thunder noises outside. It was something entirely new and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. "_I can't wait to tell Oishi-san about this. I won't be a hassle for him anymore._"

There he was, thinking about Shuichirou again. He wondered if he was upset because he left without telling him in advance. No, he probably wouldn't mind. He was rarely home on weekends lately. Eiji wished he could make going to Osaka on weekends a habit as well, so he wouldn't be alone in the apartment, waiting for Oishi to return from his girlfriend.

"_I wonder what kind of person she is. If he dated Kono-san, he probably liked extremely beautiful women with curves._" Eiji took a deep breath, closing his eyes and looking up.

############

Shuichirou could feel the cold water coming down his hair to his face while he was running on the train station. He had seen the platform from Osaka when he arrived and was desperately looking for Eiji.

"_He's probably hiding on a corner, scared to death!_" the thought crossed his mind before another thunder crashed on the building. He didn't call, knowing Eiji was unable to answer the phone or talking properly when in a panic attack.

"Where are you, Eiji-kun?!" Oishi asked himself, continuing to run. Why was that station so big?! He was about to ask for directions to one of the security guards, when he skidded when finally seeing the similar figure.

"Eiji-kun!" he screamed, seeing him sitting with his eyes closed. "_Is he crying?!_"

From afar, Oishi couldn't notice his headphones and that he was fine.

The blue eyes were wide in shock when feeling the weight of Oishi's arms around him, hugging him tightly. It took him a while to understand what was happening.

"O…Oishi-san?"

"Eiji-kun, are you all right?!" he asked, cupping his face, but since Eiji was with the headphones, he couldn't hear him at all, just seeing his terrified face.

He pushed him away a little, before taking his headphones off.

"Oishi-san, what happened? Why are you here?"

"I came after you, of course! In the minute I saw the rain, I…" he finally noticed the headphones. "What are these?"

"My parents gave it to me!" he smiled happily. "It's a noise cancelling headphone, this way I won't hear the thunders. Isn't great?!"

"Really?" he picked it up and looked at the object. "Does it really work?"

"Yes!" he grinned happily. "You won't have to worry about me anymore, I won't be a hassle for you anymore. I know you only care about me because you're a doctor, and..."

"What are you saying?" the green eyes were extremely serious. "It's nothing like that. You're not a hassle, Eiji-kun. I worry about you because you're already someone very important to me."

"Really?"

"Of course." he smiled gently. "I'm so glad you're okay." Oishi took a deep breath, before leaning on the wall and putting his hand over his chest. "I don't remember the last time I ran so much! I think my heart will stop!"

"Oishi-san, you're drenched!" he finally realized it. "Let's go home! Otherwise you'll get sick!"

"Yes, yes." He smiled gently after finally catching his breath.

######

"You know, I was so worried when you said you left to Osaka. I thought you were angry with me." Oishi said when they were already on the apartment's door.

"I'm sorry. It was not my intention."

"I know. I just… felt it. Things were not great between us lately." He opened the door and walked first, removing his soaking wet shoes. "I'm sorry if I did something that upset you."

"You did nothing wrong." He said, sincerely, while taking off his shoes as well. Eiji felt horrible for the way he treated him and it took him a while to enter the living room. "I'm sorry I behaved like that. I had things on my mind I needed to deal by myself. I'm very sorry."

"That's okay." Oishi turned around and smiled at him. The green eyes were filled with care and warmth. "Welcome back, Eiji-kun."

Eiji's heart was tight inside his chest. Even though he still didn't understand his own feelings, he always felt better when Shuichirou was around. It was like his green eyes and gentle smile were able to fix everything.

"I'm home, Oishi-san!" he grinned happily, before finally returning to his side.


	24. Chapter 24

Tezuka looked at his cell phone again and there was a slight frown on his face. It was Thursday night and he was working at his office. The majority of people had left already, since it was going to be the last day of work before the beginning of the renovations. He hadn't heard from Shuichirou since the day he stormed out of his home and he refused to send him a message after being dismissed like that.

He was doing everything properly on that dating stuff, right? He was inviting Oishi over, they were not focused only on sex, he would cook for him, would talk to him properly. On that weekend he made a reservation in an expensive and exclusive restaurant, but even with such delicious food, Shuichirou's green eyes were so distant and they barely spoke to each other. They returned home, had sex and Kunimitsu was sure everything was okay. And then, he was left behind without any further explanation.

"Hello." Fuji appeared on his door and looked at him with a small smile. "Are you done?"

"Syuusuke." He was always a little surprise to see him on his workplace. "What are you still doing here? It's almost 8 o'clock."

"I was working at our office." Tezuka's law firm had arranged a place for the arquitects to work during the renovations' period. "I noticed you had a sour face during all day today. Let's go drink."

"I… I don't know if…"

"It's okay." He leaned on the door. "I won't do anything to you. It's better for you to drink with someone else if you're upset. You can vent on me."

He looked at him for a long time, silently, before responding.

"I will be out in a while, just finishing this report. I will leave my car on the garage. Can we go by cab?"

"Sure. I will wait for you downstairs."

############

"Welcome to Sakurai!" the beautiful woman with light blond hair tight on a bun and violet eyes smiled when Syuusuke and Kunimitsu entered the bar. She was on the inside part of the balcony. The place was already a little full. "Syuusuke-san, it's been a while!"

"Hello, Rei-san." He smiled gently. "Can I get my regular table?"

"Sure. What will you have today?"

"Whisky?" he looked at Tezuka, that asserted silently. "A bottle, please and some yakitori as well."

"Be right there!"

They walked towards the farthest table, on the corner, sitting on the tatame. Although it was a simple bar, the atmosphere was very pleasant. A few moments after they sat down, Rei appeared with their drinks and the chicken skewers.

"Here we go."

"Still overworked, Rei-san?"

"Yeah! But fortunately I'll have someone to work here soon! I got a college student, he's really cute. I think you're going to like him."

Kunimitsu remembered Oishi telling him something about his kid, but mention it to Fuji would only begin unnecessary topic for the moment, so he just kept quiet, enjoying a sip of his drink.

"I definitely want to meet him." He responded with a sly smile.

"Enjoy yourself!" she said, before leaving them alone again.

"So…" Fuji drank a little from his cup. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm just troubled about something that happened." He ate a piece of the grilled chicken politely.

Fuji analyzed his expression for a while, before a smirk appeared on his face.

"You're having sex with someone, right?"

Tezuka looked at him surprised.

"How do you…?" he couldn't even finish his sentence and Syuusuke chuckled.

"I've known you long enough. The only person you would let come close enough to bother you is someone you're having sex with."

"You're wrong." He looked at him seriously before drinking again. "It's not only about sex."

"Oh." He was really interested. "Are you properly dating someone? For real?"

"If you're going to make jokes, I'm leaving." The dark eyes were hard.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Syuusuke smiled, trying to ease his humor. "But, can you tell me the name of such special person?"

"It doesn't matter." He said, eating some more.

"Are you having problems in the bedroom?"

"Not at all."

"So it's good, then." He finally ate some of the chicken. "Well, I would be shocked otherwise. You've always been very talent." He smiled, revolving the whisky inside the cup with a slow movement of his hand.

"I thought I was doing things properly, but he just left without explaining himself and didn't say anything so far."

"Didn't you ask?"

"Not at all."

"Oh, Kunimitsu." He smiled. "Are you stupid?"

"What do you mean?" he looked at him displeased.

"If you're in a relationship with someone and the person leaves, you must ask what happened. What if it was an emergency or another bad thing?"

"He has my cell phone number. He could text."

"Are you a teenager?" he asked, bored. "It's not about who texts first. Even if the person doesn't want to be with you anymore, don't you want to know why?" he poured some more whisky on Tezuka's glass. "You're beating yourself for not knowing what happened, but at the same time, you're not doing anything about it." He poured a little more on his own cup. "It doesn't make sense."

He silently absorbed Fuji's words and felt, indeed, stupid, for not realizing it sooner. Oishi was not a frivolous person to disappear without a reason.

"I'm bad at this." Kunimitsu drank a little. "There's still a lot I don't know."

"Being in a relationship is hard." He smiled at him before finishing all the whisky on his cup. "But it's also good, right? How long are you guys together?"

"For a while now."

"Were things okay before what happened lately?"

"Yes." He drank again. "At least, I think so."

"So, you're probably doing something right." He smiled gently and Kunimitsu knew his words were truthful.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He ate the last skewer. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes." He poured more alcohol on his cup. "But, let's stay here a little more."

Fuji was surprised for a moment, before touching their cups on a toast.

"Okay."

#########

"Here, Oishi-san." Eiji sat down on Oishi's bed with a worried expression on his face. He had a tea cup on his hand. The doctor had a strong cold because of the rain he had to endure when picking him up at the train station. The firsts symptoms were mild and appeared on the day before, but now he was not able to go work. Shuichirou had a fever and spent all day in bed.

"Thank you, Eiji-kun." His voice was hoarse and, only the movement of sitting down made his body ache entirely. He drank the warm and sweet liquid slowly. "It's so good."

"Lemon tea with honey is good for colds. My parents always did it for me."

He finished to drink his tea and gave the cup to Eiji again, that place it on the bedside table.

"Can I measure your temperature again?"

"Yes." He said before laying on the pillows again. Kikumaru picked up the ear thermometer inside a small drawer.

"Excuse me." He carefully placed on his ear and waited until the temperature was showing. "Still 38.5. Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

Before he could answer, he coughed for a while, putting his hand over his mouth.

"I'm okay. I'm already taking medicine. I'm still a doctor, you know." He showed a weak smile. "Don't worry."

"Of course I worry!" the blue eyes were so sad. "You got sick because of me!"

"I could get wet anywhere. I never have an umbrella with me. Haruka's always scolding me because of it. It was not your fault, Eiji-kun." He caressed his red hair. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow you will go to college. I will be just fine."

"I don't want to leave you alone!"

"You cannot miss classes. Every one of them is important."

"But!"

"It isn't my first cold in this place. I survived all of them before." The green eyes were so gentle. "Please, go to bed."

"Will you call me if something happens? I will sleep with my door open."

"I promise."

"Good night, Oishi-san."

"Sleep well."

He coughed again on his pillow when Eiji left, not waiting to worry him again. He felt absolutely horrible. Looking at the clock, it was almost 11 o'clock. He wondered if Tezuka was still awake. So many things had happened; he didn't have a chance to send him a message to apologize for leaving his home so suddenly.

Picking up his phone near, he sent him a message saying "Hello, are you okay?" with the hopes he would reply.

Suddenly, his cell phone started to ring and he was surprise to see Kunimitsu was calling him.

"Hi, Tezuka." He said gently.

"What happened to you? Why is your voice different?" he was already outside Sakurai, waiting for Fuji.

"I got a cold and now I have a little fever. I couldn't go to work and I'll have to stay home tomorrow as well."

"Is that so?" Shuichirou noticed the concern on his voice.

"But I will be fine soon. Eiji-kun is taking care of me." He smiled. "I just wanted to let you know the reason I didn't call before. I truly apologize for leaving that way. I will tell you the reason properly when we see each other again. Can you forgive me?"

"I was worried thinking I upset you somehow."

"You did nothing wrong. It was a perfect weekend. I'm really grateful."

"So…" Oishi noticed his voice was a little hesitant. "Are you still satisfied with me?"

"I am." He smiled. "I truly am. I will make it up to you when I get better."

"That's good." His voice was gentle. "I need to go now, but take care of yourself."

"I will. Good night."

"Good night." He had to end the conversation when Fuji left the building, placing the cell phone on his jacket's pocket without him noticing. "Are you okay to go home?"

"I'm fine." He said, with a loose smile.

"You're definitely not fine." Fuji was not a strong drinker, so he would always get dizzy easily. "Come, I will take you home."

"Aren't you the perfect gentleman?"

"I'm not." he responded with a very subtle smile on his face.

Kunimitsu called a cab and helped Fuji to go inside, before entering as well.


	25. Chapter 25

"Yo!" Takumi appeared on the door of Shuichirou's room with a smile. It was 8:30 in the morning. Oishi wasn't able to sleep well because of the cold so he was watching tv, with a cooling pad on his forehead and was surprised to see him. "Are you still alive?"

"Takumi." His voice was weak. "Why are you here?"

"He sent me a message asking about you and I said I was worry to leave you alone to go to college." Eiji appeared on the door as well.

"You shouldn't have come. I don't want to be a hassle for you."

"No hassle at all." He got closer and sat on his bed. "My office is closed today for routine pest control. So, I'm free." He smiled. "Can you give me the pleasure of your company?"

Oishi chuckled, but soon after he started to cough, putting his hand in front of his mouth.

"I prepared rice porridge with a boiled egg and some vegetables for breakfast and there are salmon for lunch already seasoned in the fridge, Takumi-san said he would cook it. There's also grated apple and lemon tea for you to drink during the day." He came close and looked at Shuichirou worried. "I already gave Takumi-san the schedule for your medicine. Don't eat it with an empty stomach, please."

"Eiji-kun…" he was so touched with his kidness. "I'm a doctor, you know."

"You're absolutely right on worrying, Eiji-kun. This guy is a very bad patient. He's also pretending he's fine and does not take care of himself properly. If it wasn't for you, he would be probably be starving to death suffering alone in bed but refusing to take medicine."

"What?!" Eiji panicked.

"Takumi, don't scare him, please." Oishi smiled. "I will be fine, Eiji-kun. It's already time for you to go to class. Have a nice day and be careful on your way."

"If you need anything, just call me, okay?" he looked at Takumi. "There's plenty of cooling pads, Takumi-san, please change it at 9:30."

"Yes, sir!" he said with a smile.

"Oishi-san, I will back home as soon as possible." He held his hand. "Please, take care of yourself."

"I will." He smiled kindly.

"Takumi-san, thank you so much!" he made a serious reverence.

"Go, kid. Otherwise you'll be late." He said gently.

They heard the door close and Takumi smiled.

"You got a good one. He really cares about you."

"He's the best." He smiled. "So, tell me about the honeymoon. How was Hawaii?"

"I will tell you later." He stood up. "You have to sleep to regain your strength. You didn't sleep well at night, right?" after so many years studying together at college, he already knew his sleep deprived expression.

"But…" Shuichirou didn't even have time to protest before Takumi made him lay down properly and fix the covers over him.

"Rest a little. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thank you, Takumi." He smiled to him before he left the room.

##############

"Aaaaah, I want to go home already!" Eiji complained while looking into the pan with boiling water. He was practicing to make poached eggs to do it with the teacher on Monday.

"Did something happen?" Yagami asked, using the stove next to him.

"Oishi-san is sick. I'm so worried about him!" he cracked an egg inside the pan and gently created a whirlpool with a spoon. "I shouldn't be wasting my time with these stupid eggs."

'Isn't he a doctor?" she was watching her own eggs. "He's probably capable of taking care of himself, right?"

"He's not!" Eiji said, removing the egg from the pan and placing it gently on a plate. "Even though he was feeling awful, he was still saying he was okay! Takumi-san is taking care of him while I'm here!"

"Who's Takumi-san?"

"He's Oishi-san's friend. The groom on the wedding we went to."

"Ah, I see." She removed her egg as well. "Well, at least he has friends. So, if something happens when you move out, he won't be feeling so lonely."

"Move out?" he was surprise by her words.

"You're moving out from there on winter break, right? To one of the college's dorms. You said you were saving money to it."

"Ah…" He had forgotten completely. "That's… that's right."

"Wow, your egg is perfect." She said, looking at it and comparing with hers. Eiji's poached egg was fluffy and brilliant with the intact yolk. Yagami's egg had a ruptured yolk when she put it on the plate. "Are you going to eat it?"

"No, I don't like eggs like this." He made a face. "You can eat it if you like."

She put a pinch of salt on it, before eating with a spoon.

"Thank you for the food." She took a bite. "So creamy and silky." The girl smiled at him. "You're good in everything, right, Kikumaru-san?"

"Not at all!" he blushed a little and smiled.

##########

"How's he?" Eiji asked, worried, as soon as he entered the apartment. Takumi was at the kitchen, finishing organizing the dishes from lunch.

"He's fine." He smiled, wanting to tranquilize him. "He ate lunch and took his medicines on time. He's taking another nap now. His fever is finally down as well."

"Did he eat the grated apple as a snack?"

"He sure did."

"Thank you so much, Takumi-san." He made a reverence.

Takumi touched his hair and Eiji looked at him surprise.

"You're such a good kid." He looked at him gently. "I'm glad Shuichirou found you."

Even though he was a little embarrassed, Eiji smiled happily.

"I have to go now, Haru's going to be home soon. Call us if something happens, okay?"

"Yes!"

Takumi waved goodbye and Eiji waved back before he left.

He took a quick peak on Shuichirou's room and smiled gently when saw him sleeping soundly. Kikumaru headed to his room, picking up some clean clothes, before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

It was almost 7 o'clock when Shuichirou woke up again, with the nice smell of food being made. He got up from bed slowly and smiled when seeing Eiji on the stove.

"Welcome back, Eiji-kun." His voice was still a little hoarse.

"Oishi-san!" he turned around happily. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you." He looked at the pot. "It smells good."

"Are you hungry? I'm making zosui." He removed the lid for a moment to show it to him. There was a rich vegetable stock with rice, thin slices of meat, mushrooms and some diverse vegetables. It was a popular food for colds. "It will be done in a minute."

"Thank you, Eiji-kun. I'm going to take a quick shower."

"No problem. I will set the table while you are there."

When Oishi returned, they had dinner, talked about his day at college and the young doctor returned to bed while Eiji was taking care of things in the kitchen. He was going to keep Shuichirou company on his room as soon as he was finished with the dishes.

Suddenly, the door bell rang and he wondered if it was Haruka and Takumi to visit their friend. The blue eyes were surprised when seeing the tall and handsome young man in front of him. He was wearing an expensive black suit and he had a very stern expression, although he was a little surprise on seeing Eiji answering the door.

"Good evening." His voice was so deep, Kikumaru thought. "Is Oishi home?"


	26. Chapter 26

"Tezuka!" Oishi appeared on the living room, the green eyes wide in absolute shock. He was about to lay down on his bed when hear the bell ringing and his voice. "What…. Why….?" He couldn't finish his question.

"You said you were sick." He said, calmly. On his hand there was a small plastic bag and he showed to him. "I brought sport drinks. Can I come in?"

"Sure, sure!" he got closer to them and finally noticed the confused look on Eiji's face while Tezuka removed his shoes.

"Ah, Eiji-kun! This is Tezuka Kunimitsu, he…. he's…."

"Nice to meet you." Kunimitsu said, politely.

"Nice to meet you too!"

"Come to my room so we can talk." Shuichirou said.

"Okay."

Eiji stood there, without understanding anything. Who was that guy?!

"Sorry for the mess." Shuichirou said, closing the door, after Tezuka entered his bedroom. There was some medication on the bed side table. "And for my clothes as well." He was still using his pajamas, dark blue pants with a striped white and blue buttoned shirt. It was fortunate that Takumi had changed his bedsheets for clean ones on the afternoon. He could feel his heart beating fast and he could feel his blushing face burning.

Without any warning, Kunimitsu was in front of him and leaned his forehead against his, looking deep inside his eyes.

"Your face is red. Are you feverish?"

"No, not at all! I'm feeling much better now." he averted his eyes. "I'm just… a little nervous you're here."

"I'm sorry, am I bothering you? I just wanted to check on you, so…"

"You're not bothering me! I'm… I'm glad you're here." He was finally able to show him a small smile.

He sat down on the bed and Tezuka did the same after putting the bag on the bed side table.

"So, tell me how you got sick."

"When I left your place last Sunday, I ran under the rain looking for Eiji-kun on the train station."

"Why?"

"He has post traumatic disorder and his anxiety attacks are related to storms, so I didn't want to leave him alone. I already saw it two times and it's really serious. He's even on therapy to deal with it as well."

"I see."

"I'm sorry I left your place like that." He touched his hand.

"It's okay. Don't apologize."

"So, tell me about you. How was your week?"

"Regular. My office is having renovations, so I'm working from home. Actually, I came to tell you I won't be able to see you for a while. Since I'm without my office, I'm working twice as much to put everything in schedule."

"It's okay." He was a little disappointed. "Thank you for telling me."

"But…" he touched Shuichirou's face and looked seriously at him. "I was thinking we could go somewhere as soon as I get less busy. What do you think about an inn? We could enjoy ourselves in a hot spring."

"Really?"

"Yes." There was a very subtle smile on his handsome face.

"I'd love to." Shuichirou smiled.

Suddenly the alarm on Oishi's phone started to ring and he picked up the object, silencing it.

"Don't you have to pick up the call?"

"It's not a call; it's a reminder for one of my cold medicine."

"Ah, I see. I should go, then, so…" he was about to stand up when the young doctor held his hand, making him stop.

"Would you stay a little more, please?" the green eyes were gentle. "I'll be sleepy in a while, but can you stay with me until then?"

"Okay." He stood up and removed his jacket and necktie, returning to his bed. He watched when Oishi picked up one of his energy drinks and took it with a small pill.

He laid down on the farthest part of the bed.

"I don't want you to get sick."

Tezuka looked at him for a moment, before laying by his side.

"I never get sick." He said, with conviction and Shuichirou smiled, leaning on his shoulder.

"Thank you for being here."

"Don't mention it." He said, before turning on the tv and they started to watch some documentary.

##########

Tezuka took a last look on Shuichirou's asleep face with a very subtle smile before leaving his room and closing the door silently. Almost an hour had passed by. His attention was drawn to Eiji, who was at the kitchen, preparing some of the food for the next day. He was cutting some chard when Kunimitsu got close.

"He's fallen asleep."

"Ah!" his deep voice startled Eiji and he turned around with a nervous smile. "Tezuka-san… I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"It's okay." He observed him and the dark eyes narrowed a little in annoyance.

"Would you like something to drink? Maybe some tea?"

Eiji noticed he was carrying his jacket and necktie on his arm. Why did he took them off? he asked himself on his mind.

"Tea is good."

"Please, sit down, it's going to be done in a minute."

He continued to observe Eiji while he was preparing things. So that was the person responsible for Oishi leaving his place in such a hurry and getting sick? He looked so… ordinary and silly. How could he be Oishi's priority over him?

Eiji returned with a tea cup and placed it in front of him.

"It's lemon tea. Would you like some sugar with it?"

"It's fine." He took a sip. "You can sit down." his invitation sounded like a command with his deep voice and Eiji obeyed.

"Ah..." he was nervous with his serious expression. "Do you and Oishi-san know each other for a long time?"

"Yes. Since middle school."

"Really? How was Oishi-san back then?"

Tezuka was annoyed with his question. Why would he want to know that?

"The same. He had always been hard working and caring towards people." He took another sip. "But to be so gentle can be a problem sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

"Once he got his wrist injured helping a pregnant lady from falling. He had to stay with a cast for a few weeks. It was a real hassle, but he never complained."

"It sounds like Oishi-san." He showed a small smile.

"Don't you think you're being the same? A hassle to him?" he placed the cup down and looked at him seriously, even though his voice remain absolutely calm.

"What?" he was truly confused.

"He told me how he got sick. And how your condition is troubling him." The dark eyes narrowed. "He was absolutely carefree before you started to live with him and I wonder if you have any idea of how much you're imposing on him."

"I… I…" the way Tezuka looked at him made Kikumaru forget all his words.

"You two are not related. You're nothing but a stranger he brought home because he felt sorry for you. Like a stray cat. But, don't you think it's enough? Now he even got sick because of you. He's missing work because of you."

"I'm…I'm sorry." He lowered his head and Kunimitsu noticed his shoulders were trembling.

"You're in college, right? You're not a child anymore. You should be able to deal with your own problems without relying on other people." He stood up and looked down at Eiji. "Oishi's too kind and he probably will never complain to you, but I hope now you can see you cannot stay in his life. Even if you just work for him, he will continue to feel responsible, so, you should serve all your ties for good. For his sake."

Eiji heard Tezuka's steps towards the door and when he left. His heart was racing painfully inside of his chest and he felt the air missing. He saw when big tears started to fall on his shaking hands. One of his biggest fears was being a trouble to Oishi. He was already feeling awful for his cold and trying his best to make it up to him, but Kunimitsu's words hit his chest like daggers and he felt extremely small and useless.


	27. Chapter 27

The green eyes opened slowly and it took Shuichirou a while to sit down on his bed. He looked through the windows and it was a beautiful day outside. He was feeling much better.

Getting up from the bed and leaving his room, he was a little surprise on seeing his breakfast already set on the table. There was a small note from Eiji, "I needed to solve something from college, I will be back at night, don't worry. Lunch is on the fridge. The clothes are already washed and outside. Please, take care of yourself."

"That's sudden." He said to himself, looking at the clean clothes drying out on the sun and moving slowly with the gentle breeze.

#############

The beautiful young woman with short black hair and purple eyes was walking down the street. Part of her hair was tight on a ponytail and it was possible to see the side cut hairstyle on the right side of her head. She had spent the night out and was going to a bakery near to have some breakfast before heading home, but she stopped, being surprised to see the familiar face sitting inside the store.

"What's he doing here?" she asked herself, before entering.

Eiji was sitting in one of the tables, his head down, looking at his own reflection on the hot chocolate he had ordered.

"You're a little bit far from home, Kikumaru-san." She said, gently, in front of him.

Eiji looked up surprised.

"Yagami-san! What are you doing here?"

"I live around here." She sat down, across from him. They had become close from the time they spent together at college. "What about you?"

"I needed to stay away from home for a while." She noticed the sadness on the blue eyes.

"Is everything okay?"

"I will have to move out."

"Did you and your boss have a fight?"

He just moved his head negatively and she realized he didn't want to give more details.

"When are you planning to move?"

"As soon as possible."

"Well, my roommate moved out last week. She went to live with her boyfriend. I have an open space."

"What?! Really?"

"Yes." She smiled gently at him. "My parent's own the apartment, so there's no rent, you can help out just with the regular bills, like water, electricity and stuff."

"You have your own place?! But… why do you need a roommate?"

"I hate cleaning." She made a face.

"I can totally do that!" he was excited and she smiled.

"Would you like to go there? It's five minutes away."

"Sure!" he stood up, but realized something just after. "But, is it really okay? For you to live with a guy?"

She stood up as well.

"I would never live with a regular guy, but you're different." the purple eyes were gentle. "You have a really good nature."

################

"You seem different now, Yagami-san." He said, noticing her hair style and her clothes while they were walking together on the street. She was wearing a dark red dress, reaching above her knees and a little clingy. Although she was short and thin, she had a nice figure.

"At college I don't like to stand out."

"I see."

"Here we are." She stopped in front of a tall and beautiful white building. Just by the architecture, Eiji could see it was an expensive place.

"Wow!" he said, looking up, before entering with her. The elevator stopped on the 8th floor.

"Welcome." She said, after opening the door and the blue eyes were wide in shock.

"This place is huge!" he said, before taking off his shoes and walking into the large living room. The apartment had beautiful light wooden floor and a wide balcony and everything had nice, light colors. The kitchen was very modern.

"Come see the vacant room. There's a bathroom here as well." He followed her until the end of the hallway and she opened the door. The place was twice as big as his room at Oishi's home, with wide windows.

"I can see the park!" he finally smiled properly. "It must be beautiful here at night."

"My girlfriend likes it as well." She said, looking through the windows as well.

"Girlfriend?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"Does it bother you?"

"No, not at all! I'm just a little surprise. I would never guess." she giggled at him.

"She almost never comes here. She's too busy and lives on the second floor at her store, so it's easier for us to meet there."

"I see."

"So, what do you think? Would you like to live here?"

"Yes, definitely!"

"Nice." She smiled. "When are you moving in?"

"Ah." He thought about Oishi and his face was taken by sadness again. "I need to talk to Oishi-san first. There's the matter of my job as well."

"What matter?"

"I'm quitting too." He smiled sadly.

"Really? But, why? You seemed so happy."

"Things happened." He shrugged, trying to avoid Tezuka's cold words from his mind again.

"I see." She crossed her arms. "Well, the room is yours if you want it. Just let me know when you're moving in. Summer vacation is coming soon, so I will go home to visit my parents for a couple of weeks."

"You're from Kyoto, right?"

"Yes. It would really help me out to have you here by that time."

"I will be here. Don't worry." He made a reverence. "Thank you so much, Yagami-san."

"Since we're living together, we can call each other on first name basis, right, Eiji-san?"

"Yes, Mika-san." he smiled.

########

"Natsuya-san?" Eiji opened the door at Sakurai a little, after knocking. It was 4 p.m and he knew the owner would be there cleaning and organizing things. He had spent the day with Mika, talking about living together, college and she even made him lunch. She prepared grilled sliced stake with mushroom sauce and green salad and Eiji really enjoyed her cooking. "Natsuya-san?"

He called again, already entering the place and Rei finally appeared from the back.

"Eiji-san!" she smiled, seeing him. "I'm sorry, were you waiting long? I'm preparing some pork stocking for ramen tonight!"

"Not at all." He smiled back. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment."

"Is everything okay?" she was worried. "You're not giving up on the job, right?!"

"Of course not!" he moved his hands negatively. "I came to ask if you would have more hours available for summer break."

"Really?" she smiled. "I still need help on the last shift until 4 a.m. But, you said you had another job. Is that okay?"

"I will quit soon." He said hiding his sadness with a small smile. "I will also move to another place, so I will really need the money."

"Oh, I see. Well, it's fine by me. I will be happy to have you here for more hours."

"Thank you very much." He made a reverence.

"Are you busy now? Do you want to see how I put out ramen together and taste some of it before we open?"

"I do!" he was excited.

###########

"Shuichirou, your phone is vibrating!" Takumi said, while on the stove. He was simmering some vegetables for the beef stew. Haruka was by his side, cutting the meat. Oishi's cell phone was on the kitchen's counter top. He was on the balcony, folding the clean clothes.

"Yes, yes." He came close and picked it up, looking at the message. "It's from Eiji-kun."

"Is he all right?" Haruka asked.

"He's just saying he was at his new part time job looking at some ramen." He smiled. "But he will be home by dinner time. He's going to be surprise you guys are already here making food."

"He had such a stressfull last days worrying about you." Takumi said, looking at Haruka. "It will be good for him to have a break."

"Do you think he's going to like the pudding we brought?" she asked her friend.

"Yes. He loves desserts." He smiled. "Sometimes I pick up a cupcake to him from the bakery near from work. I'm already out of flavors."

Haruka looked at her husband and there was a small smile on Takumi's face.

"Aren't you guys cute?" she looked at Shuichirou. "Like a married couple."

"What?" he chuckled. "No way!"

"Does Eiji-kun have a girlfriend or someone he likes?" Takumi asked.

"Now that you talked about it, he never mentioned something like that."

"That's odd." Haruka put the meat on the pan. "He's so cute."

"You think?" Takumi asked with a smile.

"Yes." She smiled back. "Like a puppy. Some girls like this type of thing."

"What about me?"

"You look like some shaggy dog." She kissed his cheek. "But I like this type of thing."

Takumi laughed and Oishi was sure they were even more adorable after getting married.

"I love her." He grinned happily.

"I think Eiji-kun just never had a chance to think about such a thing. He told me he spent all his awake time studying so he could be in good schools and have good grades or working with his parents. There's also the situation with his panic attacks. He took a while to tell me about it. A girlfriend is someone close, so he would probably have troubles to hide it."

"Maybe this will change with the therapy." Haruka went to the rice machine while Takumi was stirring th meat and vegetables in the pan. "You said the sound proof speakers helped already, right?"

"Yes. He was very happy."

"His parents sound great." Takumi said.

"They sure do. Eiji-kun is very devoted to his family."

"You should meet them, Shuichirou. Since their kid is living with you, you should introduce yourself." Haruka suggested.

"Yes, I was thinking about it for a while now. I'm going to talk to him before summer break. He's probably going to Osaka to visit."

########

Eiji took a deep, long and worried breath in front of Shuichirou's apartment door. In the minute he left Sakurai he started to rehearse the conversation about moving out and quitting his job on his head. He was already making a great effort not to cry everytime he heard Tezuka's words on his mind and how horrible they made him feel. If Oishi had shared such information with him, he was, indeed, being troubled by his situation.

Kikumaru felt his throat tight, remembering their conversation on the train station on that rainy night. Oishi looked so truthful saying he was not a hassle and that he was important to him. Eiji leaned his forehead on the door and wondered why he lied while the green eyes looked straight at him. Tezuka was right, he was indeed too kind.

Eiji couldn't take advantage of his good will anymore. His heart hurt with the possibily of being apart from him, but it was for the best. He opened the door after reuniting all his courage, but he stopped with the smell of food reaching him and was surprised to see the visitors.

"Ah, you arrived just in time, Eiji-kun." Oishi smiled at him. He was at the table, setting the dished, together with Haruka. Takumi was there as well, placing the food.

"Takumi-san, Harada-san." He was really surprised and removed his sneakers quickly. "Good evening."

"Hello, kid! We made dinner! Go wash your hands and sit down."

"Eh?" he was surprised. "But… why?" he looked at Oishi worried. "You didn't want to eat my food?"

"Not at all." He smiled, trying to put him at ease. "They came to check on us and do something for you, since you worried a lot with my cold."

He felt Haruka's hand on his hair.

"You deserve to be spoiled a little too, Eiji-kun." The golden eyes were kind. "Just enjoy it, okay? We're really grateful of how well you took care of Shuichirou."

"Really?"

"Yes." Oishi smiled. "And this is the perfect opportunity to use these."

He placed the bowl he had received as a gift in front of Eiji and he noticed it was a set.

"What's this?"

"Haruka and Takumi gave it to me on my birthday. I put it away to a nice occasion. Did you notice? It's a set. For the both of us."

He picked up the blue bowl and it looked so beautiful!

"Is this really for me?" he couldn't believe.

"Isn't nice? We've something to use together now." The green eyes were gentle.

He felt the tears invading the blue eyes and lowered his head a little, trying to hold back the tears.

"Thank you." He looked at them again. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it." Haruka smiled.

"Let's eat?!" Takumi said. "Otherwise it will get cold!"

Eiji looked around for a moment after sitting down and being served. Shuichirou, Takumi and Haruka were talking happily to each other and it made his heart tight. He got used to be welcomed and be included by them. They had become his family in Tokyo and he would miss those moments so much. He had no strength to have that serious conversation to Oishi. He didn't want to ruin the moment.

Looking at his bowl, the same as Oishi, he observed his troubled reflection for a while, before taking a spoon of Takumi's stew, finding it absolutely delicious.

He had silently decided to enjoy that dinner to the fullest, since it would be the last one.


	28. Chapter 28

Eiji was lying on his bed, looking at the ceiling. He had his headphones on and was listening to some music. He had arrived from college a couple of hours ago, prepared dinner and took a shower. His head was terribly heavy with many worried thoughts and he just wanted to try to forget them for a while.

Two weeks had passed by already and he still didn't talk to him about moving out and leaving his job. Things had being so hetic and Oishi was working later hours to compensate the week he was absent due to his cold. Sometimes they didn't even see each other, since Shuichirou was leaving very early and returning home almost midnight.

Eiji was worried with his health, so he would always prepare extra nutritious food for him and pack his obento with a lot of fruit and vegetables.

"How's he taking care of himself when I'm gone?" he took a deep breath and put one arm in front of his eyes. "I couldn't even teach him more dishes like I wanted to."

"Eiji-kun?" Oishi called him while removing his shoes after entering home. He was terribly tired and glad he was able to leave work at a decent hour. "Eiji-kun?"

When he arrived at his room, Shuichirou smiled. He got close to him and caressed his hair.

"Oishi-san!" he sat down quickly, removing the head phones. "You're home!"

"Sorry, did I scare you? I called you twice, but you didn't listen. I still forget you use those sometimes." He looked at the headphones on his hands.

"No, it's okay." He smiled at him. "I'm glad you're home early. Dinner is ready. I prepared grilled shrimp with vegetables and rice."

"Ah, it sounds good." He touched his neck. "I'm beat. I will eat and go straight to bed. I'm taking the 7 a.m shift again tomorrow."

"Go take a shower, I will set the table ready for you."

"Thank you, Eiji-kun." He said, messing his hair a little before leaving his room.

There was a small blush on Eiji's face and he grinned happily for Oishi being home.

It took him a while to return, already bathed and with one of his pajamas.

"How was work today?"

"Busy." He answered, after sitting down and Eiji putting the food in front of him, before sitting across from him. "And I will be even busier from now on." He started to eat and smiled. It tasted so good!

"What do you mean?" it took him a while to be able to respond.

"I volunteer to attend some children from a shelter in the city. They are coming to the hospital on some Saturdays of the month for a while."

"Really?! That's awesome, Oishi-san!"

"Isn't it? Those places are always so crowded and busy, I was happy when our hospital established the partnership." He smiled. "It's good to be able to help."

Eiji looked at him while he returned to eat. Was it possible for someone to be even more wonderful, he thought to himself, with a silly smile on his face.

"Ah, Eiji-kun. I wanted to ask you something." He stopped eating again and it interrupted Eiji's thoughts of admiration.

"Yes?"

"What did you think of Tezuka?" he asked with a small smile and Kikumaru noticed he was a little shy.

"Ah… he seemed like a good person." He showed a nervous smile. "He was worried about you, right?"

"Yes. But I was actually surprised when he showed up."

"He told me you knew each other for a long time."

"Yes." The green eyes looked at him, analyzing his expression and reuniting some courage. "You know, he's the one I'm dating."

Eiji's heart stopped for a second and the blue eyes were unable to blink.

"Dating? With…him?" he was finally able to ask after a while. "You mean… he's your boyfriend?"

Oishi blushed and chuckled.

"Well, I don't know about that, we're too old for such a title." He looked at him gently. "But, since you met each other, I was wondering if he could come to visit from time to time. Is that okay with you?"

Why he had such a sweet expression talking about that guy?! Kikumaru could hear his blood rushing inside his veins.

"Of…of course."

"I hope it isn't a shock for you."

"Not at all." He was making a huge effort to act normal even though his hands were trembling. "But I thought... you liked women. After all, you and Kono-san..."

"I just think...gender isn't important to like someone. I like people as they are."

Shuichirou smiled and continued to eat.

"So wh_y did you have to like HIM of all people?!_" Eiji lowered his head for a moment, trying to breathe normally. His heart was hurting. So Oishi had shared such things with him because he was… his… his…. He was not able to complete the sentence on his mind. Eiji felt nauseated and could feel a bad taste on his mouth. He couldn't stay on that house anymore. He really needed to leave.

"Oishi-san…"

"Yes?"

"I need to talk to you about something as well." Eiji looked at him.

"What is it?" he was worried with his serious expression.

"I need to move out."

"What?" the green eyes were wide in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"A friend of mine from college has an open space on her apartment and she invited me to live there. It has a good location and it's closer to school, so…"

"A girl? Is that… your girlfriend by any chance?" he asked, remembering the conversation he had with Haruka and Takumi.

"What?!" his face had the same tone of his head. "Not at all! She's just a friend!"

"I understand." Oishi's gentle voice made him look at him surprise. "You want to have your private space, right? Living with an old man like me must be boring."

"It's not it!" he was extremely sincere. "All this time I spent with Oishi-san, I really loved it! Every second of it!"

_"I don't want to leave! I don't want to be apart from you!"_ he completed on on his mind.

"I will miss you a lot, Eiji-kun." He smiled but the green eyes were sad. "When are you moving out?"

"Before summer vacations." He said, quietly.

"I see. It's so sudden. But, at least, we're still going to see each other because of the food, right?"

"I will also need to quit my job." His heart broke when he said the words.

"Why?"

"The owner of the izakaiya I'm going to work on summer offer me some more hours, so I think it would be the best I could concentrate on it." He made a reverence, not being able to face Oishi after the lie he just told. "I'm really sorry for the hassle."

It seemed like time had frozen still before he felt Shuichirou's gentle hand on his hair.

"It's okay." He smiled. "You should do what's best for you. You have to walk your own steps. I think I should have kept this in mind. You're never supposed to be here forever anyway."

"Oishi-san…" he looked at him surprised with his gentleness.

"Thank you for telling me. You should go to sleep now, I will mind the dishes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You worked hard today on this delicious food. It's okay."

Eiji stood up and stayed at the door of his room for a while, watching Shuichirou silently retrieving the dishes and going to the kitchen with a sad look on his face.


	29. Chapter 29

"Eiji-kun will no longer work for me" Oishi said, sadly, while picking some salad. He was having lunch with Haruka at the hospital.

"What?" she stopped eating and looked at him surprised. "Why?"

"He's going to move out. He said a friend from college invited him to share the apartment with her and it's closer to school."

"A girl?! You think it's his girlfriend?"

"He told me it was not, but still…. it's too sudden."

"When's he leaving?"

"He started to pack some of his things already. So, this weekend, probably."

Haruka noticed the sadness on his friend's face and felt sorry for him.

"You got really attached to him, right?" her voice was gentle. "I guess it can't be helped. Eiji-kun is a wonderful kid. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah." He smiled sadly. "It will just take a while to adjust to an empty home again. I will have no one to say good morning and good night to."

She observed his expression for a while and it really worried her. It took a moment to reunite the words on her mind.

"How are things in your relationship? After so many years, isn't living together a possibility?"

The green eyes were surprised with her question.

"No, not at all. It was never a topic."

"Don't you think it's a natural progression?"

"We're just not in that stage yet." Even though he responded with a small smile, Haruka knew he was bothered by the subject and wanted to avoid it.

"Well, we can always go to your place and bother you. And you can always come to our home as well."

"Thank you." he smiled.

################

Eiji was home, folding some of the clean clothes of the week. He still had some time before going to school. He had already finished with Oishi's bed sheets, pants and shirts, placing them on his wardrobe.

He was on his room now, putting his laundry on some cardboard boxes. Even though he didn't have a lot of belongings, it felt incredibly heavy to prepare the moving out. He was trying his best to delay the packing so he could stay more days near Shuichirou.

The young doctor continued to work a lot, so the time they had together lately was short and it made things even more difficult. At the same time, he didn't want to wait long enough so Tezuka could come to their home again.

"This place isn't my home anymore." He corrected himself, while finishing folding some jeans. But, when he was about to pick up another clothe, he found one of Shuichirou's pajama shirts in the middle of his laundry. It was one of his favorites, a dark blue one.

Without realizing, Eiji took his time, touching the fabric gently and remembering every time he saw Oishi using it. At home he liked to be comfortable, so he would change into his pajamas as soon as he arrived. Even though his pajamas were loose, Eiji still could see Shuichirou's lean muscles of his arms and chest against the fabric. He closed his eyes and hugged the shirt, breathing in deeply.

"_Oishi-san's scent._" Kikumaru remembered how that smell made him peaceful every time the doctor hugged him when he was on a panic attack and especially on that night at the inn, when they slept together.

After a moment, he was finally aware of his actions and threw the shirt far away, on his bed. His face was burning in embarrassment and he put a hand over his forehead.

"What was that?!" it was a good thing he was home alone. He wondered Oishi's expression on seeing him doing such a strange thing.

Eiji's heart was racing painfully and he left the things at his room undone, picking up his backpack and leaving to college in hurried steps, trying to forget what he had just done.

#############

"Thank you for having me." Tezuka said, before removing his shoes. After so much time without seeing each other, Oishi had sent him a message on Friday night, inviting him to have dinner on his place. Kunimitsu was a little surprise with the message, but accepted it. He had a busy week and he could use some sex for relaxing.

"I'm glad you were able to come." Shuichirou smiled, taking the jacket of his dark grey suit and putting it on a hanger near.

"Are you alone?" he asked, looking around. Kikumaru was not there.

"Eiji-kun sent me a message he would be home later today, he's practicing some food on the experimental kitchen at college"

"I see." _So they are still living together? What a stubborn kid,_ Tezuka thought.

"I prepared some pasta with meat, so…" his words stopped when Kunimitsu cupped his face and kissed him possessively and deeply, surprising Shuichirou. The green eyes were wide when the taller body pushed him down to the sofa, his tongue touching his, his hand already opening his pants.

"Tezuka…" he tried to speak between those desperate kisses, but was only able to have his attention when pushed him away a little. "Wait, please."

"What is it?" he asked, seriously, fixing his glasses on his face. Had he become even more handsome on those days they didn't see each other?

"We cannot do this. Eiji-kun…"

"Wasn't it the reason you wanted me here tonight?" he asked, already a little bothered for him worrying about that boy again in such circumstance. Before Shuichirou could answer, he spread small kisses on the tense tendon of his neck, whispering. "You said yourself he will be late."

"But…"

"It's been too long." He nibbled the soft skin of his neck and made Oishi sigh. One of his hands slid inside his underwear, touching him and making him hard inside his fingers.

Shuichirou gave up, putting his rational thoughts aside. He touched Tezuka's light hair and brought his face close to a hungry kiss.

"Let's go to my bedroom. But we can't take long." He whispered, the green eyes filled with desire already.

###########

"Ah!" Shuichirou grabbed the sheets of his bed tightly, trying to deal with the intense pleasure Tezuka was making him feel. He was on fours and Kunimitsu was deep inside of him. "_It's too intense!_" he thought, lowering his face and hiding it on the pillows, trying to muffle his moans. "_Was he missing me that much?_"

He felt Tezuka's body over his, before he nibbled his shoulder, his face against his.

"Don't hold back." He whispered seriously. "I want to hear your voice."

His thrusts became stronger and Shuichirou turned around and laid on his back, wanting to see him. The light bangs were glued on his forehead due to the sweat and the dark eyes looked into the green ones, devouring his soul while Kunimitsu continued to control his body entirely.

Tezuka put his hands under his back, supporting his legs on his shoulders, making him fold completely, so he could have even more power over him. His mouth was on Oishi's nipples, sucking them while their bodies were tightly interwined together.

"Tezuka!' Shuichirou hands grabbed his arms and Kunimitsu had a small satisfied smile on his face while his mouth and tongue swept over his hot chest.

##########

"Oishi-san?!" Eiji opened the apartment door quickly, with a big smile on his face. He had a small container on his hand. He was finally able to make the perfect apple tartan and had brought one for Shuichirou to try. But, his smiled died when seeing the larger and strange expensive black shoe on the doorstep and the dark grey jacket on the hanger near the door. Were they having visitors?

"Oishi-san?" he called him again, entering the living room and there was no one around. Suddenly, Oishi's voice reached his ears and he noticed the closed door. Coming close, he heard the exact moment when Shuichirou cried Tezuka's name. His moans intensified and Eiji didn't have to be a genius to understand what was going on. The small plastic container on his hands fell on the ground due to the shock.

The blue eyes were wide in absolute panic and Eiji grabbed the container before leaving the apartment in desperate steps. He throw it on a gargage bin as soon as he left the building.

He could feel the serious, round tears falling down his face and he could actually hear the sound of his heart breaking in small pieces while he walked down the streets.


	30. Chapter 30

"Eiji-kun is moving out." Haruka said, when she left the bathroom. She was wearing a white towel around her body and drying her long silver hair with another one.

Takumi was lying on their bed, waiting for her while watching tv and sat down, surprised.

"What? Why? Did he and Shuichirou have a fight or something?"

"Not at all. He's moving in with some girl from his college." She sat down by his side.

"Eiji-kun got a girlfriend?!" he got close to his wife and started to dry her hair.

"He said it was not the case. But, it's still weird."

"Shuichirou's going to be so lonely." He felt sorry for his friend.

"I know. I'm worried already."

Takumi hugged her by the shoulders and kissed her face.

"We should get a big house and live together, the three of us."

She smiled and turned around, caressing his face.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah!" he smiled happily. "And when we get kids, they will have uncle Shuichirou right next door."

Haruka giggled before kissing him.

"It's the first time you talked about children." The golden eyes were kind. "You really want to have them?"

"Of course." He caressed her cheek. "I want everything with you."

She hugged his chest, her head against his heart, before closing her eyes.

"Me too."

############

Mika was sitting on the sofa, waiting for Eiji. He had sent her a message asking if he could stop by. She was free and thought he wanted to talk something about the upcoming moving.

But, when she opened the door, Kikumaru was crying seriously, like a lost child. His arm was in front of his eyes and he sobbed.

"Mika-san…"

"Eiji-san, what happened?!" she gently made him enter and looked at him worried. "Are you hurt?!"

"I'm so sorry….for bothering you… I just… didn't have anywhere to go." He said between deep sobs.

"It's okay. Please, go sit down, I will bring you some water."

She returned and sat by his side, offering the cold water to him. He drank slowly and Mika gently rubbed his back.

"Thank you." He said, after finishing.

"Can you tell me what happened?" the purple eyes were so worried. "You're trembling."

"You were fine just a couple hours ago when we left college? Did something happen at home? Did your boss and you get into a fight?"

"Not at all!" he finally looked at her properly. "Oishi-san didn't do anything wrong, he…"

The sound of Oishi's moaning Tezuka's name returned to his mind and he sank his face inside his hands, trying to calm down.

"Oishi-san… is dating someone. That person said I was nothing but a hassle to him and said I should distance myself from him." She noticed he was on the edge of tears again. "When I arrived home today, that person was there and I… I think I had another anxiety attack because of it."

"Did this person threaten you?"

"No. But he said I should distance myself from Oishi-san. That I was nothing but a stranger to him."

"_He?_" she noticed the pronoun, but didn't thought it was important to dwell over the subject at the moment. "But your boss was the one who took you in, right? And you're being paid for a service." She was upset. "Why did this person meddle with such a thing? Your arrangement with your boss is between both of you. Did you tell Oishi-san what had happened?"

He moved his head negatively.

"I can't. He's really happy. I cannot… create problems to him."

"Is that why you're moving out in such a hurry?"

"Yes." His voice was weak. He lowered his head and the red bangs were in front of his eyes, but she could see a new tear rolling down his face.

Mika took a deep breath, feeling extremely sorry for him. She didn't know much about Eiji's circumstances, but he did tell her about him being adopted and how he hated to be a nuisance to anyone. So, she could only guess how bad he felt towards such cruel words.

"Eiji-san, sleep here tonight."

"What?!" he looked up, the dark blue eyes glistering with tears. "I couldn't impose on you like that!"

"There's no way I'm letting you alone tonight." She smiled at him. "And we're going to live together soon, right? There's no problem on it."

"Mika-san…"

"Did you eat yet?"

"No."

"Go sink in the bath for a moment. Take your time and relax. I'll prepare something yummy for you. Is hot chocolate with cake okay?"

"You don't have to worry."

"I'm going to see my girlfriend tomorrow, so I bought vanilla cake for us. There's more than enough." She smiled. "There are clean towels at the bathroom closet. I will lend you some of my brother's old pajamas."

"You have a brother?"

"Yes." She stood up. "An older one, but he lives in Kyoto. He spent the night here when I moved in to give me a hand."

"Thank you so much, Mika-san."

"Don't mention it."

###########

"Are you leaving already?" Oishi sat down, looking at Tezuka while he started to dress himself.

"You said it would be awkward for me to be here when your kid is around." He was buttoning his shirt.

"I see." He showed him a small smile. "I've prepared dinner for you. Would you like it to take it home?"

He came close and placed a soft, gentle kiss on his mouth.

"Yes, please."

Shuichirou smiled and left the bed, dressing himself as well.

They went to the kitchen and he started to prepare the take out.

"How are your weekends? I was thinking we could set a date for our trip to the inn."

"Ah, I'm going to start volunteering for the hospital on Saturdays, so I don't know my schedule yet." He smiled. "But I will tell you as soon as I know about it."

"Volunteer?"

"Yes, I'm going to do pro bono consultations for a children's shelter at the city."

"Working for free on the weekend? Why would you do such a thing?"

Oishi was surprised with his words.

"Because I want to help. Life in a shelter can be really difficult for those children. If I can offer them proper health care, I want to do it." He put the lid on the container. "Don't you have something similar as a lawyer?"

"We do. Some people work in Child's Services or something like that. But, I'm not suited to do such job."

"I see." Shuichirou offer the container to him. "Here you go."

"Thank you for the food." Tezuka leaned over and kissed him again. "And for your time as well."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "Thank you for coming over."

"Let me know when you're free."

"I will." He said, before Kunimitsu went to the door and left his place.

Oishi returned to his room and threw himself on his bed, taking a deep breath. What kind of wild sex was that? He felt like he was going to faint!

Picking up his cell phone, there was a message from Eiji.

"Practice ended up late, I'm going to sleep at Mika-san's home. She's the one I will move in with. Don't worry; I'll be back in the morning."

He sat down and read the message again. How could he not worry? Eiji was going to spend the night out, with a girl nonetheless!

"He said she was not his girlfriend, but he wouldn't spend the night and live together with someone he was not close to, right?"

He was so confused! Why wasn't Eiji telling him things properly?!

"I hope he's responsible about it. He's too young to be a father right now." He said, before leaving his bed and going to the bathroom to take a shower.

#########

"Feeling better?" Mika asked to Eiji, with a smile, just after both of them took a sip of the hot chocolate on their respective mugs.

"Yes." He showed her a small smile. They were sitting on high chairs, across from each other, on the kitchen's counter top. She had also placed a slice of cake to him. "Thank you so much, Mika-san."

"I already have my share of ugly crying. I know how hard it's to go through such a thing by yourself."

"The cake is very good." He said, after taking a bite.

"It's my girlfriend's favorite. She had a really sweet tooth.

"Mika-san, what kind of person is your girlfriend?"

"She's strong." He noticed how her expression softened completely. "She took over her parent's business by herself when they retired and it's doing an excellent job. A lot of people didn't believe in her at the beginning."

"What's hard of her… towards her family… I mean…" she noticed he was shy to complete the question.

"To date women?" she smiled, wanting to put him at ease. "She told me she never really talked about it with them. She even got dragged into marriage interviews for a couple of times until she told them she didn't want a husband and would dedicate herself for the family business. But, I think in her case is a little harder, because she's an only child. Most of families have this expectation, right? Having children to continue their names."

"My parents didn't change my name when I entered the family's register. They said it was not fair for them to do it, since I was young and could regret later." He looked at his own reflection on the chocolate. "But, being a Kikumaru never brought me anything good, except from being abandoned by another Kikumaru. So, when I turn 20, I'm changing my last name."

"What last name will you take?"

"Ono Eiji." He grinned. "Doesn't sound nice?"

"It sure does. But, I don't think there's anything wrong with you being Kikumaru Eiji. You're kind, gentle, intelligent and talented, regardless of your name."

"I'm not all of these at all!" he smiled shyly.

"Of course you're." she took a bite from the cake. "You got hired to cook for someone. Most of people in our classes didn't have this chance yet."

"But, it was really easy to work for Oishi-san. He's a very nice person, he's very kind and gentle and he worries about everyone sincerely." He lowered his head a little and she noticed a hint of sadness on his smile. "He always ate all my food with a smile on his face and praised me, even when I cooked simple things. He would pat my head and said I was doing a good job. He also… took care of me every time I had anxiety attacks." He took a deep breath and one of his hands grabbed the cloth of his shirt, feeling his chest hurt. "He really put me at ease and never judged me for this weakness of mine."

"I'm sure he's going to miss you a lot as well." Mika touched his hand and pressed it gently inside her fingers, wainting to comfort him. "You two seem very close."

"When I was all alone he gave me a place to return to. And now… I lost it." His voice trembled. "I lost my home with Oishi-san."

Mika continued to listen to him, until he realized he was about to cry again and finally raised his head.

"I'm sorry." He faked a smile. "Here I'm, acting like a cry baby again, I…"

"Eiji-san…" the purple eyes looked deep inside the dark blue ones. "Are you in love with your boss?"


	31. Chapter 31

"What?" the blue eyes were wide in complete shock. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, it's just… you seem in so much pain, Eiji-san. It seems it's much more than someone who's going to leave a job."

"No, it's not it!" he felt his face burning in embarrassment.

"It's okay if you are." She said, kindly. "You two went through a lot of things in this short time you lived together, right? It wouldn't be strange having such feelings."

"You're wrong! The feelings I have for Oishi-san…." The memories the night they shared a bed, Eiji's fingers almost touching him and the moment he was hugging his shirt, wanting to engrave his scent, returned to his mind uninvited and he felt extremely ashamed. Eiji lowered his face and felt his chest hurt again. "It's only admiration and gratitude."

"I see." Mika took another sip of her hot chocolate.

"Mika-san, do you mind if I go to bed? I'm very tired."

"Don't worry about it. You need to rest. The futon is inside the wardrobe, there's a pillow there as well. "There's also a spare new toothbrush, you can use it."

"Thank you so much for everything today." He made a reverence. "Good night."

"Good night, Eiji-san, sleep well." She said, kindly, before he left.

###########

Tezuka had just come out of the shower when his cell phone rang. It was already late at night. He was surprised to see who was calling and answered it quickly.

"Syuusuke?"

"Are you home, Kunimitsu?" his voice was a little slow.

"Yes. Did something happen?"

"I'm in the neighborhood. Can I stop by?"

"Are you drunk?"

"Yep." He chuckled. "There was a small party at the office."

He signed deeply and massaged his forehead with his fingers.

"I don't want to bother you, I will find somewhere else and…

"Don't." he worried he would probably find some stranger to have sex with. "Come. It's okay."

It took a little more than half an hour for Fuji to finally arrive. There was a loose smile on his face when Kunimitsu opened the door. They didn't see each other for a long time now, since his office was still under renovations.

"Good evening."

"Come in." he said, seriously, before helping him remove his jacket and putting it on the back of a chair on the living room.

"Why such sour face, Kunimitsu?" he smiled while taking off his shoes. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Do you have any idea of what time is it? And you smell. Go take a shower."

"Yes, yes." Before he could say anything, Syuusuke started to undress in front of him.

"Hey."

"What?" he was already naked on his bedroom's door, leaving a trace of clothes on the floor. "I'm just obeying you."

##########

Tezuka was on his bed, waiting for Fuji to return. He was not used to have visitors, so he didn't have a futon to spare, they would have to share the bed. There was only one small white lamp lit, on the bed side table.

When Syuusuke finally returned, he was still naked, with a towel around his neck. He threw himself on the mattress and closed his eyes, with a smile.

"I've always loved your bed." The light blue eyes were heavy. "So comfortable."

"Sit down, your hair is dripping"

"You're so kind." He said, before Tezuka sat on his back and started to gently dry his light hair.

"You should not drink so much. Your liver's going to fail on you."

He smiled, his head down.

"Are you worried about me? Or just complaining because you're the one who is dealing with me now?"

He didn't respond and the silence bothered Fuji.

"Drinking and sex are the joy of my life. I work very hard, so I think I'm entitled to do it."

"Is that so?" he asked, before finishing. His hair continued to be extremely soft. Kunimitsu had forgotten how much he liked to touch it.

"Don't worry." Turning around, he smiled. "I won't die on you."

Even though he was completely naked, Fuji didn't feel an inch of embarrassment, but it bothered Kunimitsu. He stood up and went to his wardrobe, bringing back a white shirt for him to wear.

"Put this one. Otherwise you will get a cold."

"It makes me happy you still care about me, even after dumping my ass." Fuji said, still naked, the shirt on his hand.

"Go to sleep, it's late." He laid on the bed and turned to his side, turning his back on him.

Tezuka had already closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep deeply when he felt Fuji's forehead on his broad back. The dark eyes opened suddenly and he was surprised.

"I miss you." His voice was serious and almost a whisper.

"You're drunk. Go to sleep, Syuusuke."

"You never rejected me before." One of his fingers traced Kunimitsu's back bone slowly. "Are you really that devoted to your new guy? Was him the reason you ended things?"

"No." Tezuka turned around and the dark eyes were hard over the blue ones. "I told you my reasons, but you probably didn't even listen."

"I did listen." He was sincere. "I just didn't understand. Why did you pile up so much before talking to me?"

"And what would you do? Would you stop treating me like your last choice? Like someone you would only remember when having no other options."

Kunimitsu was surprised when Fuji touched his face. The blue eyes looked extremely sad.

"I never thought of you like that."

Tezuka scoffed and averted his eyes.

"This conversation will take us nowhere. Please, go to sleep."

Before he could turn around again, Syuusuke was on top of him, his hands on his abdomen, the damp light bangs in front of one of his eyes.

"You're the one I always returned to! How was that the behavior of someone that forgets about you?!"

"Syuusuke…" Kunimitsu had no words.

"You never asked for anything! I thought you were fine, I thought we were fine! How could I know?! And you didn't even give me the chance to make things right! You just left!"

There was a heavy silence for a moment, except for Fuji's deep breathing. It was the first time he had raised his voice in all those years of knowing each other.

"You just left." he repeated, his voice heavy with sorrow.

Syuusuke's fingers cupped his face, caressing it in the softest move. He lowered his head and was about to kiss him when Kunimitsu moved his face, avoiding it.

"Don't. Please."

He was surprised and hurt for a moment, before whispering in his ear.

"You really care about that person, right? But, if it's something else, it's not cheating." he started to kiss his neck and Tezuka didn't have any strength when his hands and tongue swept over his chest. His lean body against his was so distracting.

The blue eyes looked at him, placing a small kiss under his belly button, before one of his hands pulled away Tezuka's pants without any resistance. There was a small smile on Syuusuke's face when Kunimitsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath while getting hard inside of his fingers that knew him so well.

His hand gently touched the light hair when Fuji took him inside his mouth. He kissed him, licked him, sucked him. Why the hell it felt so terribly good?! Why was it so different from Oishi?! Tezuka had no answers. There was no room for anything else on his mind besides Fuji's hot mouth swallowing him completely and the painful pleasure he felt on every cell of his body.


	32. Chapter 32

Eiji picked up his cell phone near his futon and looked at the time. It was 4:15 a.m and he was still not able to sleep. Mika's question continued to echo on his mind and he felt so terribly uncomfortable on his own skin.

He opened the message Oishi had sent him earlier. "Get home safely. I will wait for you for us to have breakfast. Call me if you need anything. Have a good night."

He put his cell phone down again and took a deep, tired breath. He didn't deserve Oishi's kindness and worry. He had nothing but treat him dearly and, even so, he had such strange behavior towards him. What would have happened if his senses didn't stop him on that early morning at the hotel? Eiji was sure the young doctor would violently push him away and call him names if his fingers had acted on their own.

Love. The word echoed on his brain. What it even mean? Aside from the love he felt for his parents, Eiji never experienced anything similar with anyone else. While on high school, his classmates were busy trying to find dates and he would just stay behind to study and get good grades. He could never find a girlfriend since his face was always inside books and he would throw away a couple of confession letters he had received during the school years.

He would always avoid anything that would let him distract himself and cause his parents any problems, since he was on a scholarship. He needed to be the perfect student, the perfect son. For many years was always afraid Masayuki and Chiho would change their minds and return him to the shelter.

Was that the reason his feelings towards Oishi were so confused? He had no practice on having any kind of relationship aside from his parents. Oishi had helped him in an extremely crucial and lonely period of his life. He had become his family, so it was normal Eiji was extremely attached, right?

"Just like a stray cat." He repeated Tezuka's words and his heart was tight inside his chest.

###########

Tezuka woke up and sat down on his bed in a sudden move. It was morning already. Getting up, he put his pants back before leaving his room and searched for Syuusuke but soon realized he was completely alone. He remembered the way the light blue eyes looked at him after he made Kunimitsu come into his mouth. He licked his fingers with a satisfied expression, before silently curling up by his side, while Tezuka was fighting to breath steadily again.

"What the hell happened?" he asked himself, putting a hand on his face. Who gives someone a blowjob and disappear like that?!

He returned to his room and picked up his cell phone. Maybe there was a message there? Looking through his contacts, there was nothing from Fuji and Tezuka was sure he was just played again.

Suddenly, a message from Syusuuke popped on the screen. He was thanking him for the night before and said he wished they could see each other soon. He remembered Fuji's words and took a deep breath.

"It was not cheating." He stood up, leaving the cell phone on his bed. "There's no need to tell him anything." He told himself, before going to the bathroom. Tezuka was in a desperate need of a long shower.

###########

"I'm Yagami Mika." She made a reverence. "Nice to meet you, Oishi-san."

"The pleasure is mine, Yagami-san." Oishi was at her apartment. The moving day had finally arrived and he was there to help Eiji with a couple of remaining boxes. He had started to take his things to the new apartment during the week. "Thank you so much for taking Eiji-kun in."

"Don't thank me." She said, gently. "He's going to be a big help. And he's very fun to be around."

"Oishi-san, come see my bedroom!" Eiji smiled.

"Yes, yes."

"Ah, Eiji-san, I'm going out for a while, okay? Doing some shopping. Please, you two, be at ease."

"Okay."

Shuichirou smiled when saw the big windows on his room and the beautiful view to the park at night.

"It's lovely, Eiji-kun."

"Isn't it?" he grinned happily.

"I understand why you wanted to move out." Shuichirou smiled at him. "This place is so much better than mine."

"It's not it, Oishi-san!" he responded seriously. "There was nothing wrong with your place! I really liked it in there."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! Your apartment was always so cozy. I really felt at ease. It was because Oishi-san was there."

Eiji was putting an extremely strong façade towards everything. He used the time Oishi was at work to finish packing and reunited strength to hold back his tears when seeing his empty. There was no use to cry for the situation anymore. When Shuichirou returned home, he painfully put a smile on while trying to remain calm during the last dinner they would share together. But, while preparing the food, Eiji's hands couldn't stop trembling and he felt like suffocating.

"You're always so kind and gentle and you took very good care of me." He averted his eyes, feeling a little embarrassed. "Masa-nii always says that home is where your important people and happy memories are, so I considered your apartment my as home as well."

"I'm glad you had such a good time living together. It was the same for me. You did so much and even taught me how to cook a little. I'll be forever grateful." Even though his voice was filled with gentleness, Eiji noticed a hint of sadness on the green eyes. "You know, on those last months, it was the first time that place really felt like a home, not only an empty space I only used to sleep. I was really looking forward to return every day, just to see you there, talk and eat your delicious food. I got used to say good morning and good night to you. It's going to be hard to return to no one from now on."

"Oishi-san…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he chuckled. "I shouldn't be saying such things on this day. You should be enjoying it." He looked around his bedroom and the majority of things were already organized. Eiji had always being very tidy. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Can I… give you a hug?" he asked extremely shyly and Oishi smiled to his cuteness.

"Of course."

Eiji's arms were around his torso tightly and he leaned his forehead on his chest. It was the first time he really noticed their height difference of almost 10 inches and he felt even smaller towards Shuichirou.

"I'm the one who has to be grateful. Thank you for everything, Oishi-san. Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it." He caressed his hair. "But, it's not like we will never see each other again. I hope you visit from time to time."

"I cannot." He thought to himself, tightening his grip on Oishi's back.

"I will work hard to improve my cooking skills. I want to prepare you some delicious food someday. Please, take care of yourself and call me if you need anything. At any time. Okay?"

"Hm." Eiji was unable to respond anymore. He silently wished he could stay inside that hug forever.


	33. Chapter 33

Oishi opened the door of his apartment and the place was completely dark. He silently removed his shoes and walked in, after turning on the lights. He looked around to the emptiness of that place before taking a deep breath.

Shuichirou removed his clothes on the bathroom and looked at his own reflection for a while in the mirror. He was so tired. Two weeks had passed by terribly slowly since Eiji moved out and he felt lonely.

Even though Haruka and Takumi had told him he could stop by their place at anytime, the young doctor didn't want to be a bother to the newlyweds.

Finishing his shower, he put some clean pajamas on and went to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, it was almost completely empty. When Eiji left, he had prepared a lot of portions so Shuichirou could get by, but after those ended, he had no will to cook anything. Eating alone was joyless.

He had picked up an obento from the convenience near on the day before and heated on the microwave for a while. Haruka was already scolding him again.

When it was done, he put the food on the plate and went to the sofa, eating it slowly.

He looked his cell phone while eating. He hoped that Eiji would communicate with him regularly after moving, but it didn't happen.

"Summer vacations started already. He's probably enjoying himself." He said to himself, sadly.

He searched for Tezuka's contact. Shuichirou wished they could spend some time together on the weekend, but he knew he was busy as well. More than the physical aspects of being in a relationship, he was craving company.

He remembered the conversation he had to Haruka and smiled sadly. Even being properly together for some months now, he couldn't even imagine having the conversation about living together with Tezuka. He didn't do it with Fuji after all those years, why would he do it with him?

Sometimes he wondered if they still maintain any contact. Tezuka said he was the one who ended things, so something really bad should have happen. According to the things Tezuka told him about their relationship. Fuji probably didn't even care, right?

Shuichirou laid down and looked at the white ceiling, feeling the pressure of being on that empty and silent apartment.

"I want to see him." He said to himself, placing an arm in front of his eyes.

##########

Fuji drank a sip of his sake slowly. He was sitting in his customary table at Sakurai. Just a couple of minutes after he arrived Rei had already offered him a bottle. He was lazily looking at his messages on the cell phone.

"I'm being stupid." He said to himself. "He's not going to contact me." He drank another sip of his drink, feeling annoyed. "He should at least send a thank you message. It was a great blowjob."

He could still feel the trembling of Tezuka's body on his fingertips and his taste on his mouth. He always thought Kunimitsu looked painfully handsome when he was about to come. It was like all his defenses crumbled due to the pleasure and Syuusuke always felt proud of being able to destroy his stoic expression.

He really thought he would forget his resilience, grab his body and ravish him after what happened. Instead, he silently turned his back to him again and closed his eyes, still breathing heavily and Fuji never felt so neglected. That was the reason he had left without saying anything. He could have, at least, returned the favor!

"_Ah, I'm horny._" He thought to himself, before pouring more sake and drinking in one big gulp. "I really should stop drinking."

"Excuse me." Eiji appeared in front of Fuji and he looked at him surprised. He was wearing the black and white uniform of Sakurai and had a gentle expression. "Your karaage is here."

"Oh. You're the new kid Rei-san told me about."

"Ah, yes!" Eiji smiled. "I started a week ago, I mainly help at the kitchen, but today is very crowded, so…" He had already placed the deep fried chicken wings in front of Fuji when he showed a sly smile.

"What's your name?"

"Kikumaru Eiji." He made a quick reverence. "Nice to meet you."

"_So polite._" He thought. "You're a college student, right, Kikumaru-kun?"

"I'm studying to be a chef."

"Isn't that wonderful?" he picked up one of the chicken and ate it. "Wow, it's different. It has a really good seasoning on it. Did you do it?" he asked, after eating it.

"Yes, Natsuya-san said it would be a good practice. I'm glad you liked it."

"I really did." he showed him the cup and Eiji served him more sake. "Can't wait to taste other things from you."

Eiji was too innocent to realize the true intentions of his words and just felt happy with the idea of receiving a compliment from a client.

"Thank you so much for your patronage!" he made a small reverence. "I need to go back to the kitchen now, so…"

"Off you go." Fuji smiled. "My name is Fuji. Please, keep it in mind."

"Okay, Fuji-san." He said, before leaving.

"So cute." Syuusuke said, before eating another piece of the chicken. "Rei-san made an excellent choice."

#############

The sound of the shower mixed with Tezuka's low moans. His hand was soapy and he was touching himself, the wet bangs over his closed eyes.

Lately, the image of Syuusuke's mouth around him, would come to his mind uninvited. He was in the middle of his bath when it happened. He would fool himself, thinking it only happened because of his inability to see Oishi on those past couple of weeks due to their busy schedules and Fuji was his last sexual contact. But, while he was at it, memories of other intimate moments together would appear as well.

He felt extremely annoyed for still being controlled like that, even at distance. How could Syuusuke lie with such a straight face saying he missed him? How long had Tezuka wished for those words on those long and painful years together? Why now?

His body trembled and he finished himself on his hands. He stayed there, his head on the cold water, trying to calm down, his desire running down from his fingers.

He thought of Oishi. Tezuka was sure he would gladly take care of his needs and push away all those unrequited feelings.

He closed the shower and grabbed a towel near, starting to dry himself. Going to his room, he picked up his cell phone and dialed the number. It rang twice before Shuichirou answered.

"Tezuka?"

"I'm sorry for calling so late."

"No problem, I was reading in bed. Is everything all right?"

"Yes. I just wanted you to know that I realize I'm in debt with you lately. We're not able to see each other."

"Eh?" Oishi was really surprised. "Don't worry about it. I know you're busy, I'm busy as well. The downside of being an adult."

"Can you spend the night here tomorrow? I know it sudden, but…"

"Yes, I can do it."

"It's settled then."

"See you tomorrow." His voice was gentle and Tezuka took a deep breath after turning the phone off. He was sure that storm inside his mind would calm down by Oishi's side.


	34. Chapter 34

Eiji was organizing things at the restaurant. It was almost 5 a.m. He yawned for a moment. His body was still getting use with the new schedule but he was happy on working at Sakurai. He had learned so much already and the owner really trusted him in the kitchen.

Suddenly, the door opened and since he was at the balcony, he didn't see who was coming in.

"Sorry, we're closed already, so…" he was surprised when seeing the familiar face in front of him. "Mika-san!"

"Eiji-san, what are you doing here? Is this the izakaya that you work?"

"Yes!" he smiled. "What are you doing here at such hour?"

"Oh, Mika!" Rei appeared from the kitchen and smiled at her. She was still wearing her uniform and her long hair was tight on a bun. "Good timing, I'm almost done! This is Eiji-san, he started to work here this week."

"I know him, he's my new roommate."

"Eh?! Really?! The guy you told me about?!"

"You were too busy for me to tell you about the details." Shs shrugged.

"That's a big coincidence." Eiji smiled. "How did you two know each other?"

"She's my girlfriend." Mika said. "I can only see her at such hours on the weekend."

"Really? Ah, the world sure is small."

"Do you want to go upstairs, Mika? Today was very crowded."

"Can I help out?"

"Sure! I'm finishing the dishes."

"Okay." She smiled before entering the kitchen.

Eiji smiled seeing them, before returning to his chores.

###################

"Thank you for coming." Rei smiled to Mika when they were doing the dishes and she looked at her gently.

"Don't mention it. I'm going to travel on Monday, so, I wouldn't have a chance to see you otherwise."

"I'm sorry I'm always so busy. It was your first week of summer vacation and I couldn't take you anywhere nice." She lowered her head. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay." She leaned her head on her shoulder while sponging a plate. "Anywhere with you it's already good enough."

Rei looked at her and grinned happily.

"You're so much more mature than I."

"I know." Her response made the owner giggled. "How's Eiji-san at work?"

"He's awesome! His food is really good already and the clients really liked him. He's polite and focused. I'm going to miss him when vacations end. Was he shocked when you told him about having a girlfriend?"

"Not at all." She placed some dishes on the drainer.

"That's good. Are you guys having fun living together?"

"Yes. He's very skillful. The house is always shining now."

"Excuse me, Natsuya-san. I already finish at the saloon. Do you need help in here?"

"It's okay, Eiji-san." She smiled. "It's late already, you can go home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you worked really hard today. Thank you so much."

"Okay, then." He smiled. "Mika-san, I will see you when you get home."

"Go home safely." She said, gently.

###################

"The food was great." Shuichirou smiled at Tezuka and caressed his hair. They were on his bed, after having dinner. Kunimitsu didn't have time to buy groceries, so he ordered food. There was grilled salmon with lemon sauce and steamed vegetables. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"So, how was your week? Are you still working from home?"

"Yes." He took a deep breath and laid on his back. "The renovations are ending this month. I'm going to wear a suit regularly again." Lately he was only wearing them when going to hearings with his clients.

"I always thought you looked good on suits."

"Is that so?" Kunimitsu turned around again and looked at him.

"Yes." Shuichirou leaned his forehead on his chest and closed his eyes.

"Are you tired?"

"Yes."

Tezuka's hand slid on his back, slowly, in a pleasant movement.

"It feels nice."

His hand went to his waist to his chest caressing it. He started to kiss Shuichirou's neck and he took a deep breath. Kunimitsu's kisses and tongue touched his chest and his hand reached the insides of Oishi's pajama pants while kissing him slowly and deeply.

"_Is he spoiling me?_" Shuichirou thought to himself, enjoying those slow touches. His tongue touched his sensuously in opened-mouth, long kisses.

"_I'm not getting hard._" The realization worried Tezuka. Usually, just by kissing Oishi that way was enough to make him alert.

He removed the young doctor's pants, reaching his hardness with his mouth and fingers. Oishi's back arched from the bed and he sighed deeply.

"_I'm not getting hard._" he thought again, while licking Shuichirou.

Oishi sat down and breathed deeply, before caressing his hair. After some minutes of being touched like that after so long, he was already on the edge.

"Tezuka…" his hand gently tried to push him away from his shoulder, but the dark eyes just look at him seriously, before continuing. "I'm going to…."

He wasn't able to complete his sentence. His whole body shook and he finished himself inside Tezuka's mouth. Kunimitsu finally sat down and looked at his flushed face, before caressing his black hair.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"Did you feel good?" he whispered, before kissing his neck.

"Yes." Shuichirou closed his eyes, feeling his heart beating fast.

"Good." He hugged him and made him lay down again.

Shuichirou looked at him confused.

"Don't you want to…?"

"I'm already satisfied. Just wanted to make you relax."

Oishi smiled, wrongly thinking he was just being caring and considerate. He placed a kiss on Tezuka's cheek, before touching his hair.

"Thank you."

"Let's go to sleep? I will take you out for breakfast tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

Half an hour passed and Shuichirou was already sleeping deeply by his side. Kunimitsu continued to look at his handsome face. He seemed so comfortable. He wondered what Oishi would say if he knew that he was unable to respond to him on that night. What kind of emotion would be on the green eyes while looking at the lifeless and limp part of his anatomy? How would he explain?

Tezuka took a deep breath and rolled on his back, putting both hands on his in face. He wanted to convice himself that he was just tired and such things could happen sometimes to everyone, but, on the back of his mind, there was only one question repeating itself: Did Fuji ruin him for good?


	35. Chapter 35

Tezuka woke up with the smell of food coming to his room. Looking to his side, Oishi was not on the bed. He stood up and went to the kitchen. He hugged him from his torso and placed a kiss on the back of his neck.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." Oishi smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. You didn't have to cook anything, I wanted to take you out."

"I found some things on the fridge." He was finishing scrambling some eggs and there were also some bacon ready. There were also some toasts with strawberry jam on a plate. "I wanted to cook for you. I made some orange juice as well."

He distanced himself and leaned on the balcony, looking at him.

"Is your kid still teaching you?"

"Eiji-kun moved out." Tezuka noticed the slight sadness on his voice. He had finished the eggs and was now putting them on the plates with the toasts. "It's been a while now. I'm living by myself again."

"Is that so?" He felt incredibly accomplished. Oishi's attentions and thoughts were only his. He wasn't going to share him with anyone.

"He has moved in with a girl from his class at college. Her apartment is twice as big as mine and very fancy." He showed him a small smile.

"How are you regarding that?"

"It's lonely." He offered him a cup of the juice. "But, I will get use to it soon."

Tezuka started to eat and Shuichirou chuckled to himself.

"What's it?"

"Ah, nothing, I'm just… remembering a conversation I had with Haruka. She said you and I should live together. Isn't that silly?"

He looked at Oishi silently for a moment, while he was eating, before placing the hashi down.

"We should live together." He said calmly.

The young doctor started to cough, having trouble to swallow his bite of the toast.

"What?!"

"Come to live with me."

"But it's too sudden!"

"We've known each other since we were in middle school." He continued with his stoic expression, like he was presenting information for a case. "We have comfortable incomes and my place is big enough for both of us. We wouldn't be a burden to each other."

"Tezuka…"

"What do you say? I think the time is right."

Oishi could hear his heart beating on his ears. He knew Kunimitsu was a straightforward and pragmatic person, but didn't that kind of subject need something else? Sex was the thing that primarily bonded them together. Even now, Tezuka never spoke of his feelings towards him. Shuichirou had given up on so many things on their messy relationship, but he simply couldn't take such an important step to someone that never even said properly he liked him. Even though he was hopeless attached, he couldn't do it without an "I love you."

"I can't do it right now. I'm sorry." He felt guilty for giving him a negative response. "What if you change your mind later? You and Fuji-san broke up after so long, so…"

"You and him are different situations." He was extremely bothered with the mention of Syuusuke but was able to disguise it. "We're in a proper relationship. I'm not immature to propose such thing without being serious about it." _Why is it so difficult for you to consider living with me, but you invited a complete stranger to do it?,_ he thought to himself, annoyed by his rejection.

"I understand." Shuichirou looked at him gently. "But, please, give me some time to wrap my mind around it?"

"Be at ease." He continued to eat. "When you feel ready, let's discuss about it again then."

"Thank you." Oishi smiled and return to eat as well.

#################

Shuichirou returned home after lunch. He had eaten together with Kunimitsu on a restaurant near his home and then they parted ways.

Even with him behaving completely normally after the conversation of living together, Oishi continued to worry about it.

Suddenly, he realized the weather had changed on his way home and the clouds had become darker. Another summer storm was forming? He picked up his cell phone and dialed.

################

Eiji was picking up the laundry from the apartment's balcony, due to the forming rain. He already had his headphones on, listening to one of his songs. Since it was connected to his phone, he could receive calls as well, but he was surprised when it started to ring. Pressing a button, he picked up, without knowing who was calling.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Eiji-kun."

"Oishi-san!" Eiji smiled widely with Shuichirou's familiar and gentle voice. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. I saw the skies becoming dark and I was worried about you. Are you at home?"

"I am! I'm with the phones on. Everything is fine. Thank you so much for your concern."

"I'm glad. Actually, I was worried. You never sent news anymore. I thought you had forgotten about me."

"Not at all!" Eiji's response was extremely sincere and Oishi smiled. "I could never! I just…didn't want to bother you, that all."_ I'm afraid of that Tezuka guy_, he completed on his mind.

"I told you, you can contact me whenever you like. So, how's college? Did you learn a lot of new things before vacations?

"Yes! I learned desserts with fruit. I even baked a tarte tartin and…" his heart was tight for a moment. "I… I really wanted you to try it. I think you would like it."

"Tarte tartin, hm? It's made with apples and caramel, right? It's been a while since I last ate one of those."

"Really?! You like it?!"

"Yes. I'm sure yours will be perfect. Would you bake it for me? How's your lunch time on Monday? Can we have lunch at the hospital? I'm sure Haruka would be happy to see you too."

"Can I?! Really?!"

"Of course. I miss you."

Eiji had the happiest smile on his face.

"It's a date then, Oishi-san!"

"Good. I will send you the location later. Be well, Eiji-kun. See you on Monday."

"Yes!"

When Shuichirou turned off, Kikumaru held the cell phone tightly inside his hands, a feeling of absolute happiness all over his chest. After so long, he was going to finally see Oishi again!

"Ah, I have to buy apples tomorrow!" he said to himself, already planning to do the most perfect dessert of his life. He was so excited, he even forgot about the shy rain that had started outside.


	36. Chapter 36

Eiji walked anxiously through the doors of Oishi's workplace. It seemed like forever since he was on the hospital.

"_This is the place where I met Oishi-san._" He smiled to himself while crossing the hallways and picking up the elevator to his office.

On his hand there was a small bag with a big bent box and a smaller one with the apple dessert inside. He arrived at Shuichirou's floor and walked quickly towards his door, knocking briefly.

"Come in." the voice said from inside and he obeyed.

"Oishi-san!" he smiled. "You look so cool in that white coat!"

It was the first time he saw him with it.

"Not at all." Shuichirou chuckled. "How are you, Eiji-kun?"

"I'm just fine!" he showed him the bag. "I brought lunch! For you and Harada-san as well."

"Really? You didn't have to, I was the one who invited you over." He rubbed Eiji's hair. "Thank you so much!"

Kikumaru grinned happily. He had missed that touch so much!

"Ah, you arrived already, Eiji-kun." Haruka appeared and looked at him gently. She was already with her regular clothes, since it was lunch time. "It's been a while."

"Nice to see you again, Harada-san. How's Takumi-san?"

"He's well, thank you for asking."

"He brought us lunch, Haruka." Shuichirou smiled while removing his white coat.

"Ah, that's amazing!"

"I brought the tarte tatin as well." He smiled shyly. "I really hope you guys like it."

"I'm sure it's delicious." Oishi said, coming close to them. "Let's go? We can eat on the park near."

###########

"It's such a beautiful day." Haruka said, looking around. They were sitting on a iron table under a big tree.

"It sure is." Oishi smiled. "And with Eiji-kun's food and company it's even better."

Eiji blushed a little before removing the bento's lid. There was rice, salad, grilled fish, skid and deep fried shrimp.

"Wow! It's a banquet!"

"This is lovely, Eiji-kun."

"Please, enjoy yourselves." He said, giving them the hashi.

"Thank you for the food." Both of them started to eat.

"So good!" Oishi said, after eating one of the shrimps. "Your food is still the best!"

"Your fish is even better than Takumi's. Please, don't tell him that."

Eiji couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was just like the old days when he was allowed to be by the young doctor's side. He started to eat when they continued the conversation.

"Eiji-kun, how's therapy? Are you still going?" Haruka asked.

"Yes, it's going well. I'll start to make anxiety medicine. In fact, I'm going there after here to pick up my prescription."

"Medicine?" Shuichirou looked at him worried. "What do you mean? Did your crises get worse?"

"I don't want to risk it. Even with the headphones. And now, since I'm working at Sakurai, I cannot let a storm stop me from doing my work."

"But you have to be careful at the beginning, Eiji-kun. Those kinds of medicine take a while for the body to get use to. You'll probably be sleepy on the first weeks. Did you tell your roommate about it?"

"Not yet. She's actually traveling to visit her family in Kyoto. She will only come back one day before classes start again."

"You will be home by yourself?!" Oishi said.

"It's okay, Oishi-san." He smiled. "I'll be just fine."

"But!"

"So, Eiji-kun." Haruka interrupted her friend, trying to make him to ease on the subject. There was a sly smile on her features. "Tell us about your roommate. We've been speculating if she's your girlfriend."

"What?!" he blushed entirely. "No, no, no! It's nothing like that! She's just a friend!"

"Ah, really?" she was disappointed. "We thought you left Shuichirou to live a torrid summer romance."

"I'm not dating anyone!" he looked at Oishi worried, like wanting to give him the proper explanation.

"She's just teasing you, Eiji-kun." He said, gently. "Are you going to visit your parents too?"

"Yes, I'm going a week from now. There will be a summer festival on our neighboorhod on Sunday and we always get a stall. It's a lot of fun!"

"Ah, a festival." Oishi took a deep breath. "It's been many years since I last went to one of those. We were still in college, right?"

"Yes." Haruka said.

"Do you guys want to go?! It's super fun! With the best food as well! You can go in the morning, spend the day in the city and go to the festival at night. There's still time for the last train."

"We'd love to go but Takumi and I are going to visit my parents on that weekend. I'm sorry." She looked at Shuichirou. "You should go and enjoy yourself."

"You can meet Haru-chan, Oishi-san! She's very big!"

"Haru-chan?"

"His little sister's name is Haruki." Shuichirou explained.

"Oh, a wonderful name." she smiled.

"You should definitely go, Oishi-san! I can introduce you to my parents as well! I'm going Saturday after my shift on Sakurai, taking the first train in the morning."

"I can't go with you Saturday because I'll be volunteering, but I can go on Sunday."

"Really?! That's awesome!" Shuichirou had missed his cute happy face so much.

###########

Oishi returned home with a smile on his face. On his hand there was a small container. He removed his shoes, his jacket and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When he returned, already on his pajamas, he pick up the container he had left on the kitchen and opened it. There was a slice of the tarte tatin Eiji had baked and he insisted Shuichirou would take home. He did the same for Haruka, sending an extra slice to Takumi.

He sat down with a fork and closed his eyes after the first bite, chewing slowly, enjoying all the rich flavors. He still could remember how the blue eyes were sparkling in happiness when he told Eiji it was the best he ever had and Haruka complimented him as well. He wished the hours could stop; there were so much they still wanted to talk about. Kikumaru told them about his job at Sakurai, the food he was learning how to prepare and how much fun the experience was.

He really missed talking to Eiji regularly. He was always very excited and interested about things, would always give Oishi his full attention and encouraged him. No one ever used so many nice adjectives towards him like Eiji did. His happy voice filled the house completely.

He took a deep breath, before having another bite. Shuichirou was grateful for those delicious caramelized and juicy apples that were able to soothe his loneliness and the terrible silence of his apartment, at least, for just a little.

Silently and, without even realizing, Oishi hoped the festival would come soon.


	37. Chapter 37

"I'm going to Osaka this Sunday." Shuichirou said with a smile.

He was having dinner with Tezuka on his apartment. It was Tuesday and he had invited Kunimitsu over on the day before and cooked for him. There was spaghetti with meat balls in tomato sauce and grated cheese.

Tezuka stopped eating and gave him his full attention.

"What are you doing there?"

"I'm going to a summer festival. Eiji-kun invited me. The udon place of his family is having a stall."

"I didn't know you still talked to each other."

"I invited him to have lunch with Haruka and me last week." He said, before eating some more spaghetti politely. "I was really missing him."

There was a slight frown on Kunimitsu's forehead and Oishi didn't notice. He took a bite on the meat balls, looking at his happy expression. He always had that kind of look on his face while talking about that kid. Why did he have to share Oishi's attention and affection with him?

"I see." He said, calmly. "But, it's a pity. I wanted to take you to an inn this weekend, like we talked about previously. I even made reservations. Actually, I came to tell you this in person." The lie came out so easily from his mouth.

"What? Really?" he was surprised. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

"It was supposed to be a surprised. But, don't worry, I will cancel it."

"Are you going to be able to get a refund?" he was worried. "Since it's on such short notice."

"Probably not." He ate a little more.

The green eyes looked at him for a silent moment, Oishi was feeling so guilty! It was the first time Tezuka did such a thoughtful thing for him. He feared that, if he refused, it would never happen again.

"I can go." He showed him a small smile. "I will talk to Eiji-kun about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I want to go with you."

"I'm glad." He said, before continuing to eat.

##################

Kunimitsu was on his cell phone, inside Oishi's bathroom. He was anxiously trying to get a reservation in an inn. Since he had lied about it, he needed to arrange things as soon as possible and he was searching it online. Since it was summer time, the majority of the inns near Tokyo and with an affordable price were already taken. The shower was on for the last 10 minutes when he was finally able to find a proper place and there was a small smile on his face when he confirmed the reservation after paying it.

He put the cell phone away on the sink and was finally able to shower properly.

Shuichirou was already on bed when he returned to the room. He had a towel around his waist and the young doctor smiled at him.

"Was the shower good? You took your time."

"Yes." He sat down near him. "I'm tense, so I needed the hot water."

"Are you sore? I can give you a massage."

"Can you do that?"

"Yes." He smiled, coming closer. "It's not that hard, actually."

Shuichirou was on his knee, on his back and started to touch his shoulders. His hands were very gentle.

"It feels good."

"So, tell me about the inn we're going."

"It's Hotel Hokada. They have indoor and outdoor hot spring baths. I's in Kanagawa. I thought we could go after your volunteer work on Saturday. It ends at noon, right? I can pick you up on your job."

"It's settled." He smiled, now touching his neck. Kunimitsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was a very nice sensation.

Oishi saw him relaxing under his touches and kissed his face.

"Thank you for organizing everything."

"Don't mention it. I hope we can do more of those."

"Really?" he smiled.

"Yes." He turned his face around a little and looked at him gently. "I want to do things properly with you."

Shuichirou was so happy to hear those words. He kissed Kunimitsu's neck and touched his naked lean chest.

"You smell so good."

"It's your soap."

"But it's different on you." He whispered, nibbling his shoulders. "It's better."

A small hint of despair hit Tezuka's heart when his hands started to slide on his stomach.

"Oishi…" he was trying to find the words to avoid that kind of contact.

"Yes?" he whispered, one of his hands opening his towel and touching him.

Kunimitsu tensed up completely, while Oishi stroke him and nothing was happening. He took a deep breath and felt incredibly frustrated.

"Tezuka?" Shuichirou stopped after a while and sat by his side, looking at him worried.

"I'm sorry." He said, lowering his face.

"What's wrong?" he tried to look at his eyes. "Are you not feeling well or…?"

"I'm sorry." He repeated, unable to look at him. How could he explain such a thing? He couldn't get hard with him, but just on the night before he was painfully stiff thinking about Syuusuke while masturbating.

"Hey, it's okay." Shuichirou rubbed his back gently and it made him feel even more inadequate. "You said you're tense. You're probably stressed, right? There's nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to everyone."

He finally looked at him and the green eyes were so kind.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't want to force you."

"You did not do such a thing. I'm sorry I can't respond properly."

"I'm not with you because of sex." He cupped his face and his thumb brushed on the tension of his jaw. "We're not machines. You're probably going to feel better once we go to the inn. With the hot baths and stuff."

Tezuka looked at him for a while before kissing him deeply. Why did he have to be so terribly gentle?

#########

"Aren't we feeling happy today?" Fuji asked when Eiji came to serve his order. He noticed his happy expression.

"Good evening, Fuji-san." He said, pouring putting his whisky glass in front of him before placing the sliced grilled meat.

"Good evening to you too, Kikumaru-kun. What's the reason for this happy expression?"

"I'm going home this weekend."

"Is that so?" he took a sip of his drink. "Are you going to see your girlfriend by any chance?"

"No, not at all!" Eiji smiled and blushed a little. Fuji thought he was adorable.

"So…" he leaned forward a little and the light blue eyes looked straight inside the dark blue ones. "A boyfriend, perhaps?"

"Eh?!" his face became as red as his hair and Syuusuke laughed.

"Well, it's a pity, then." He ate a piece of meat. "Thank you for bringing me this."

"You're welcome. You can call me if you need anything, Fuji-san."

"Okay." He smiled and Eiji left.

"_He's so odd._" He thought to himself while returning to the kitchen. He was distracted, so he didn't see the tall person in front of him until bumping into him. "Ah, I'm so sorry, I…"

When he looked up, Tezuka was there, looking at him with his permanent serious expression.

"Don't mention it." He said, calmly. "Good evening, Kikumaru-san."

"Tezuka-san…" Eiji's blood froze inside his veins.

"I'm looking for Fuji. The owner told me he's in one of the private booths in the back."

"Ye…yes." He pointed out.

"Thank you." He said, before leaving and Eiji thought his heart had stopped for a moment. Why the hell was he in there?!"

Syuusuke was drinking when Kunimitsu appeared in front of him. He was surprised for a moment, but soon there was a sly smile on his face.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." He said, before he sat across from him. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he picked up the drink from his hands and finished the whisky in one big gulp. "I came to talk to you."

"Is that so? How about your lover? Is he okay with you coming here late at night to see me?"

He was about to eat another piece of meat when Kunimitsu's hand grabbed his wrist tightly and the dark eyes were hard over his.

"You did something to me."

"Hm?" he was really confused. "You'll need to be more specific." He smiled, releasing himself. "I did many things to you during the years."

"This is not a joke." There was a deep frown on his forehead.

"Why are you acting like I own you something? If I remember correctly I was the one left frustrated the last time we saw each other. And now, after weeks, you show up with this attitude. What do you want?"

"You had sex with a lot of people."

"Did you come to call me a whore?"

"Did you ever… were you ever unable to…?" he couldn't find the proper words. Even thought he hated the situation, Fuji was the person who better knew him sexually and Tezuka knew he would have no restriction on discussing the topic.

Syuusuke looked at him suspicious for a moment, before the blue eyes were wide in surprise for a moment. His laugh echoed on the hallways and Kunimitsu got even more upset.

"I can't believe it! The all mighty Tezuka can't get up!"

"Be silent." he asked, with clenched teeth, before closing the sliding doors of the small room they were inn.

"Is this for real? So, you think I broke you or something?"

"Tell me how to fix it. Please."

"Or what? Is your lover going to leave you?" he leaned forward, wanting to tease him more.

"No. He's understanding about the situation, but I don't want this to continue."

"He must be a hell of a guy. I would surely dump your ass."

"_This is a waste of time._" Kunimisu thought to himself, but when he was about to stand up and leave, he felt Fuji's feet on his crouch and looked at him surprised.

"How long is this happening?" he asked, seriously.

"Since that night when… you…"

"I see." His toes continued to touch him. "Are you guilty by any chance? About what we did."

"I did nothing to you. You were the one who…"

"I didn't force you, Kunimitsu. You could push me away at any time. But you liked it, right? Why don't you admit it?"

"I…" the massage became harder and he took a deep breath.

"Did you ever think about it?" he whispered, looking at him. "Do you ever think about me?"

"I don't." he lied, but his body was honest and, without even noticed, he was hard inside his pants.

"It seems you're just fine." He smiled, satisfied, continuing to rub it.

"It's enough, stop it." He grabbed his leg under the table.

"Isn't it going to be painful for you, leaving it like this?" the blue eyes narrowed. "Come to my place. I will take care of it for you."

###############

Tezuka closed his eyes and took a deep breath, raising his head to breathe better. They were on Fuji's apartment, on the sofa. He was sitting while Syuusuke's knees were on the floor while sucking him. It was much better than before. Kunimitsu could feel the scalding pleasure deep inside his body. How could someone's tongue be so skilled? Or maybe, it was him who was addicted to Fuji's mouth.

His fingers moved slowly while his lips were around him and it was too much! Fuji noticed his skin trembling and he was already on the edge, when he stopped and climbed on Tezuka's lap. He tried to kiss him, but he averted his face.

"I can't."

"Aren't you stubborn?" he chuckled, before removing his shirt and opening his own pants. Tezuka noticed he was throbbing inside his underwear. "Could you just help me out, then? Please."

Kunimitsu's large hand was around both of their hardness, rubbing them together. His free hand caressed Syuusuke's lean torso and his skin was burning.

Kunimitsu looked at him for a moment. The sweaty bangs glued on his forehead, his flush face, the closed eyes, the narrow body. He was so beautiful, he thought, while being touched by him and he felt proud on making him tremble in pleasure.

"Harder." He whispered on his ear and even though his voice was demanding, it was still very gentle.

Kunimitsu's dark eyes narrowed and he flip his body on the couch. Fuji was surprised for a moment when he put him on fours and removed his remaining clothes, thinking he was finally going to give in. But, instead, he placed his erection between his closed thighs at the same time he touched Syuusuke, while thrusting between his legs.

"Kunimitsu…" he moaned, grabbing the arm of the sofa, his head on a pillow. "More, please."

Kunimitsu licked two of his fingers, before entering him, making Fuji's body tremble completely. He grabbed the fabric of the sofa with all his might, trying to deal with that amazing sensation of being touched by Tezuka again.


	38. Chapter 38

Eiji was getting his backpack ready to his trip. He arrived home after finishing at Sakurai and went straight to take a shower, before sleeping and eating a little. His train would leave at 11 a.m and he still had two hours to spare. He was very excited with the possibility of spending an entire day with Oishi and he smiled to himself from time to time.

Suddenly, his phone rang and he answered happily.

"Oishi-san! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Eiji-kun. How are you?" he said gently. He was already at the hospital, getting ready to his volunteer work.

"I'm fine! I'm getting ready to take the train. I will be leaving at 11. You know, I talked to my parents about you going and they were happy to meet you. They even took a spare futon out, if you want to spend the night with us."

Shuichirou felt terrible. He sounded so excited. He took a deep breath, feeling sad for the words he was about to say.

"Eiji-kun, I'm sorry, but something came up. I will not be able to go. I'm so, so sorry."

"Really?" his voice was heavy with disappointment. "Are you okay?"

"I'm, but I'll be busy this weekend. I'm sorry. It happened after I talked to you and I can't postpone it."

"I understand, Oishi-san."

"I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it. These things happen." He forced a happy voice. "I will bring some sweets from the festival, at least, when I return to Tokyo. Is that okay? Can I meet you again?"

"Of course. Let's schedule something as soon as you arrive."

"You promise?"

"I do."

"Okay, then. I will talk to you later."

"Bye, Eiji-kun. Travel safely."

"Thank you." He said, before the call ended. Kikumaru took a deep breath and lowered his head for a moment, wanting to control that sadness on his chest.

#############

"I'm home." Eiji said when he entered his house. He was removing his shoes when his mother appeared with Haruki on her arms.

"Eiji! Welcome home!" she smiled to him and he smiled back. "How was the trip?"

"It was just fine." The baby smiled at him. He got close and kissed her forehead.

"Haru-chan, wait just a minute, I have to wash my hands." He went to the sink on the kitchen and washed his hands. "Where's Masa-nii?"

"He's sleeping. The store closed at 5 a.m. There was a birthday there and people went on drinking."

"I see." After drying his hands, he picked up his little sister and kissed her round cheeks. "Hello, Haru-chan! You're so big!"

"Aren't you tired, Eiji? Go rest a little. Masayuki and I already organized things for the festival. We will start carrying things there tomorrow morning only."

"How about the udon stock?"

"He will start preparing it at night, but the vegetables and meat are already on the fridge."

"I see." Haruki grabbed his hair. "So, I'm gonna spend some time with her on my room."

"How about your boss? Is he really coming tomorrow?"

"He's not." He showed a small smile. "Something came up."

"Ah, really? That's a shame. We really wanted to meet him."

"Yeah. I think so too." He said, before leaving to his room to play with the baby.

###############

"Wow!" Oishi smiled widely after opening the sliding back doors of their room. The view was amazing; it was possible to see a big forest and the river. The sunset was coloring everything in rich red and yellow tones. They had a private round bath inside the bathroom and Shuichirou entered it, getting close and putting his hand on the falling water.

"It's really warm." He smiled to Tezuka, but Kunimitsu wasn't paying attention to them. "Tezuka?" he looked at him and his expression was off while he looked at his cell phone.

Shuichirou was sure something was bothering him. He was extremely quiet, even more than the usual, when picking him up and during the whole way, he would only respond with monosyllables.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He finally gave him his attention. "I'm solving something from work."

He lied. After making Syuusuke come, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Fuji sat down and looked at him seriously for a moment, before starting to collect his clothes and telling him to leave. Tezuka was confused for a moment and asked the reasons of his words.

"_You're in a relationship. I was just teasing you first, but now it went further and I don't want to be the reason for you to cheat._" He said, before going to his room, leaving Kunimitsu alone and confused. He dressed himself and left his apartment. Wasn't he the one who said it was not cheating on the first place? Syuusuke didn't even look at his face after they were done.

He continued to look at his cell phone in the hopes Fuji would send him a message. The memories of that night continued to repeat themselves on his mind and Shuichirou wondered why he looked so troubled.

"Are you hungry? It's almost dinner time."

"A little, yes." Oishi smiled.

"I'm going to order some food and drinks for us. I'm going to the restaurant to check the best options. Is there anything you would like to eat?"

"Nothing specially. You can choose. I'm going to take a bath while you're out."

"Okay." He said, before leaving and Shuichirou was worried. Wasn't the main goal of that trip for them to spend time together? Why didn't he talked to him about what was bothering him?

Oishi went to the bathroom and removed his clothes, taking a shower before going inside the warm water bath. It felt so good and he wished to share it with Tezuka soon.

############

Shuichirou woke up slowly. There was a small soft yellow light on at the outside porch. He remembered taking a bath, putting a yukata on and laying down while waiting for Tezuka to return when he fell asleep.

He sat down and looked at the dinner meal on the table. It had a big plate of beautiful sushi and other warm dishes as well. t him drinking on the short table at the porch. The dark eyes seemed lost far away from the night landscape and he didn't even notice when Shuichirou walked towards him, until he sat by his side. He also had taken a bath and was wearing a white yukata as well.

"Oh, you're up." Tezuka said. Oishi noticed that was already an empty sake bottle and he was drinking from another one, already on its half. "It's almost eight o'clock."

"I'm sorry." He smiled gently. "I think I was more tired than I realized."

"It's okay. We came here to rest too."

"Did you eat something?" he asked, worried. He had drunk a lot for such short time.

"Not yet. I was waiting for you."

"Why don't we eat ?" he wanted him to stop drinking for a moment or at least, put some food on his stomach.

"Why don't we do something else?" he asked, whispering, putting the cup down and pulling Oishi from his yukata to his lap. The young doctor was surprised at first, but soon closed his eyes when he started to kiss his neck.

"Ah, Tezuka…"

"Yes?" he said, between kisses, one of his hands already brushing on his chest.

"Are you really okay? You don't have to feel forced to…"

"I'm not." Tezuka had used the alcohol to push away Fuji's thoughts from him and was glad it was working. Tezuka kissed him hungrily, his hands possessively grabbing his thighs. Their mouths were still locked together when Kunimitsu removed his clothes and Oishi could see he was, indeed, perfectly well and ready.

"See?" Oishi could feel the sweet breath of sake. "I'm okay."

There was a small relieved smile on his face. Shuichirou was starting to think he was the problem.

"Let's go to bed." He whispered, the dark eyes looking at the green ones.

############

They continued to kiss deeply for a long time, now both of them completely naked. Kunimitsu caressed every part of Shuichirou's body, like wainting to prove to himself his desire for him was absolutely fine and there was no need for Fuji on his mind anymore.

"Tezuka…" Oishi stopped the kiss and caressed his face. He was already impatient. "Can we continue?"

The green eyes were filled with desire and Tezuka couldn't disappoint him. He sat down and put his hand on his hardness.

"Could you…?"

Oishi obeyed the gentle request eagerly. He licked him entirely before putting it on his mouth, feeling the heat and throbbing on his tongue.

Tezuka closed his eyes and caressed his hair for a moment. His mind was cloudy from the alcohol and that incredible sensation of Shuichirou around him. It didn't take long for him to be on the edge and he removed himself from his mouth, before kissing him again, making him lay down.

Shuichirou was already painful in anticipation. He caressed Tezuka's handsome face while he ripped the condom foil before dressing himself.

##############

Oishi's whole skin was still shaking from the outburst of deep desire. He was laying on his back, trying to calm down his breathing. His whole body was covered in sweat and his heart was beating so fast.

He looked at Kunimitsu, laying on his back by his side and Shuichirou smiled, feeling content and satisfied for things between them were back to normal.

He hugged Tezuka's chest and placed a kiss on his face. A small rain had started a few minutes ago and the sound was very pleasant.

"Was it enough for you?" he asked with a small smile, his eyes still close.

"More than enough." Oishi said, kissing him gently on his mouth. "I'm glad you're okay now. Coming here was a good idea indeed."

"I told you so." He took a deep, satisfied breath. "Is it raining?"

"Yes." He looked at the water falling from the opened back doors.

"Aren't you glad I made that kid leave your home? Otherwise, you would be worrying about him again right now."

Tezuka finally opened his eyes, feeling Oishi's body quickly removing himself from near him. He sat down and there was a deep frown on his handsome face and the green eyes were terribly serious.

"What did you just say?"


	39. Chapter 39

Kunimitsu sat down, without realizing the weight of his words. The alcohol also didn't let him notice how upset Shuichirou was.

"What… what did you just say, Tezuka?" the young doctor asked again.

"You mean, about the college kid?" his voice and thinking were slow. "I just told him he was being a hassle to you and that he should leave."

"When did that happen?!"

"When I visited you when you were sick. You told me you were sick because of him. Not to mention all the other times we couldn't be together because you were too busy babysitting him."

Oishi could feel his blood boiling inside his veins. He stood up from the bed and started to collect his clothes on his small bag to get dress.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving." He tried to talk to him calmly, after all he was drunk.

"Why? Because of that kid?" the condensent tone swiped away Shuichirou's patience.

"Did you have any idea of what you did?!" he looked at Kunimitsu again, the green eyes filled with anger. "I took Eiji-kun to my home on my own free will! I never wanted him to leave! He was my guest, it was my home, you had nothing to do with it!"

"He was troubling you." He said like appointing the most obvious thing.

"You know nothing about him! If you were jealous, you should've talk to me, not making him go away!"

"Jealous?" Tezuka scoffed. "Why would I be jealous?"

"Maybe because you were traumatized by all the times Fuji-san cheated on you or forgot about your existence." His voice was dead cold.

Oishi was about to leave, with his shoes on his hand, his bag on his shoulders, when Tezuka stood up and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"You're overreacting." The dark eyes narrowed. "I will tell you the same thing I told him. He's nobody to you, you two have no bonds and he's just like a stray animal you picked up from the streets. I know having a pet could be comforting, but that kid has no place in your life."

Shuichirou released himself abruptly. He was never so angry before just imagining how bad Eiji must have felt with his words.

He took a last look at Tezuka before leaving the room and smashing the door close.

#############

"Thank you!" Eiji smiled happily, while giving away people's orders on the udon stall at the festival. Everything was so beautiful and colorful. He was wearing the shop's uniform. While he and Masayuki were dealing with the food, Chiho was receiving the money. Because of the noise, Haruki had stayed with a babysitter.

"Eiji we're almost without shrimp." Masayuki said, drying his forehead with a paper towel. They were selling just one type of udon on that night, the Nabeyaki Udon. It was a rich kind of udon, prepared with shrimp tempura, mushrooms, thin sliced carrots, spinach and fish cake. It was the most popular of the store and they had already sold almost 100 bowls since the festival had started. "Can you get home and get some more? There's a package ready on the fridge."

"Yes!" he smiled, removing his hat. "I'll be right back, Masa-nii!"

"Be careful on your way!"Chiho said, before he left.

Eiji was extremely happy everything was going well on the festival. He hoped he could have some time to enjoy the festival. He was imagining he should have shaved ice with syrup and some grilled squid as well.

"I wish Oishi-san could be here. He would really like the squid." He talked to himself, looking at the starry sky while walking down the road for his place.

When he was just one block away from the udon shop, he felt his cell phone vibrating on his pocket. He answered without looking at the caller.

"Hello?"

"Eiji-kun?" he stopped immediately when hearing the familiar voice.

"Oishi-san?!"

"Good evening. I'm sorry for calling so suddenly. You're probably busy, right?"

"Not at all! I'm just going home to pick up something."

"Ah, you're coming back? To Ono Udon?"

"Yes, why are you…"

Kikumaru's eyes were wide in absolute surprise when he arrived to his place and Oishi was there, in front of the shop's closed doors. He showed him a gentle smile.

"Eiji-kun. I found you."

"Oishi-san!" he ran to him and couldn't believe his eyes. "You're really here! How… why?!"

"I got rid of the other thing. I'm sorry for coming unannounced." Eiji had given him the address of the shop before.

"Don't worry about it!" he smiled widely. "I'm so happy you made it!"he noticed he had a small bag with him. "Come with me, we can put your bag on my room. I came to pick up some shrimps to the udon."

"How are things at the festival?"

"Great." He grinned, before opening his home. "Please, don't mind the mess. The last couple of days were busy."

"Don't worry about it. Thank you for having me." He said, removing his shoes.

Eiji's house was small but extremely cozy. It was, indeed, a family home. Shuichirou smiled seeing the different pictures on the living room.

"Would you like some water or anything else?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm just hungry. I didn't have the mind to eat anything before coming here. Can I eat something at your stall?"

"Sure." Eiji was a little worried when noticed the hint of sadness on the green eyes, before picking up his bag and placing on his room. "Are you okay?"

Oishi messed up his hair a little gently.

"I'll be just fine. Let's go? You're still working, right?"

"Yes, I'm going to pick up some shrimps, you can wait for me outside, I'll be right back."

############

"Nice to meet you, I'm Oishi Shuichirou." He made a polite reverence in front of Eiji's parents, after he introduced him.

"Oishi-sensei, you really came! I'm Ono Chiho, Eiji's mom." Chiho greeted him with a smile. She imagined Eiji's boss was a middle aged or older man but he was so young and handsome!

"I'm Masayuki!" his father smiled from inside the stall, while quickly putting together another bowl of udon. "I'm sorry I cannot talk to you properly now. Thank you for everything you did for our kid, Sensei. We apologize for the trouble."

"No trouble at all." He looked at Eiji gently. "Eiji-kun helped me a lot. I'm the one who's thankful. He's really hardworking and I'm sure you were the ones who shaped a lot of qualities he possess."

Kikumaru felt his face blushing with the compliments.

"The smell is great. Can I have one bowl? How much is it?"

"Don't even think about it, Sensei!" Masayuki smiled. "Your money is no good here! Eiji, make a beautiful bowl to your boss, so he can experience the best udon of his life!"

"Yes!" Eiji smiled. "Oishi-san, you can sit right there. I will bring it for you." He pointed to some wood tables across from the stall.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."

############

"What do you think?" Eiji asked, sitting across from Oishi on the table. He was watching him taste the udon with his chin on his both hands, looking at him with a smile.

"It's amazing!" he said, after eating some of it. "It's really the best I've had! Did you help on it?"

"Yes, I prepared the stock and the seasoning."

"It's incredible, Eiji-kun! You always surprise me with your food. Takumi and Haruka would love this too."

Eiji chuckled happily.

"Don't you have to come back to help your parents?"

"Masa-nii gave me a break. Things are calming down, so he said I could keep you company."

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it." He said, before continuing to it.

Kikumaru was feeling happiness bubbles all over his chest like watching Oishi eating his food and being there just to spend time with him.

After he finished eating, Eiji took him to take a walk around the festival. It was crowded and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Kikumaru paied Oishi a cone with shaved ice and gooseberry syrup and they went on while talking. They stopped under some trees in a distant stop and sat on a small bench there.

"It's such a lovely night." Shuichirou said, looking up to the sky. "I really needed one of these."

There it was again, Eiji noticed, the spark of sadness on the green eyes. Oishi took a deep breath, before looking at him.

"Eiji-kun, I'm really sorry."

"Why?" he was a little confused.

"I know the reason you left my home. Tezuka told me. I was with him before coming here, he had surprised me with a trip to an inn and… he told me what he had done to you. I'm really; really sorry I couldn't protect you. But you need to know, nothing of what he said is true. I do not see you as a hassle, you never troubled me."

"Oishi-san…"

"What didn't you tell me the terrible things he said to you? He had no right! I was very happy living together with you, Eiji-kun. Not only for the food, but for your company as well."

Eiji lowered his head.

"I didn't want you to have problems with him because of me. You seemed so happy, I… I didn't want to bother you."

"Eiji-kun… look at me." He held both of his hands and Eiji obeyed shyly. "I told you before. You're extremely important to me. If Tezuka had problems with you and me living together, it was because of his own issues. It had nothing to do with you. You did nothing wrong. You were not a hassle. I'm so sorry he made you feel like that."

The blue eyes were filled with tears and Oishi hugged Eiji tightly when he sobbed. Kikumaru's hands grabbed his shirt and he leaned his forehead on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Eiji-kun. I'm so sorry."

"He said… I was nothing but a stray cat." His grip was tighter. "That you and I had no real bonds."

"He's wrong. Terribly wrong." Oishi caressed his fluffy hair, wanting to confort him. "You're very precious to me, Eiji-kun. Never doubt of that, please."

"You really… didn't complain about me to him? Of how you had to take care of me?"

"Of course not." Shuichirou's chin was on Eiji's head. "I would never do that. I was glad I could help you. Did I ever lie to you?"

He moved his head negatively and Oishi finally smiled.

"Good. Thank you for believing in me." He said, gently, while still hugging him.

###########

"Oishi-san? Are you awake?" Eiji whispered. They were laying on different futons side by side on his room. After the festival ended, Shuichirou helped his parents with the stall and organizing things at the kitchen. Masayuki and Chiho insisted he would spend the night and return home with Eiji early in the morning.

"Yes?" Shuichirou turned around and looked at him.

"What will happen between you and Tezuka-san?" he asked, feeling a little hesitant by the question. Oishi took a deep breath before answering.

"I really don't know, Eiji-kun. It was really bad. I will need some days to cool my head and I will talk to him later. What he did was really serious. He had hurt someone very important to me, you had to move out in a hurry and it really troubled you too."

"I see." He hugged his pillow worried. Shuichirou looked so sad. He wished there was something he could do to make him feel better.

"Thank you for the incredible night, Eiji-kun." He said with a gentle smile. "I was really glad I came over and could spend this time with you. I should have done it from the beginning."

Eiji's hand went outside his blanket and touched some of Shuichirou's fingers.

"I'm happy you're here as well." The blue eyes were filled with tenderness and it soothed Oishi's heart a little.

"Let's go to sleep? We're leaving at 6 tomorrow."

"Yes. Good night, Oishi-san."

"You too, Eiji-kun. Sleep well."

They fell asleep and their hands continued to be joined, like recognizing each other's warmth.


	40. Chapter 40

Fuji was working at his computer. He was sitting on his bed and it was already late at night. He stopped typing for a while and took a bite of his sandwich, the small plate on the bed as well.

Suddenly, he heard his doorbell rang and he found it strange. He never had visitors. The only person that was ever invited to his place was Kunimitsu.

The bell rang again and he left the sandwich on the plate before getting up and walking towards the door.

"Yes?" maybe it was one of the neighbors wanting something? The light blue eyes were wide in surprise when seeing the familiar face in front of him. "Kunimitsu? What…"

Tezuka's hands cupped his face and stopped him to complete his question. He kissed Syuusuke deeply and serious, devouring his mouth after entering his apartment and closing the door in one single push.

He was embraced him tightly, his thinner and shorter form almost disappearing inside his arms.

"Kunimitsu…" he tried to speak between kisses. "Kunimitsu… wait…."

He finally was able to push him away a little.

"Kunimitsu, what the hell are you doing?!" Syuusuke's angry face was undone when he realized how pained Tezuka looked. He examined the dark eyes for a moment, before asking, worried. "What happened? What about your…"

"We're done. He ended things with me."

After Shuichirou left, he went to take a shower, wanting to dissipate the alcohol on his brain a little. He returned to bed and stayed there, awake, believing Oishi would realize being so upset over that kid was silly. He woke up the next day and there was no signs of him, no messages as well. Kunimitsu finally sent him a message and Oishi just replied he was on his way to Osaka. That was it. He had chosen the Kikumaru kid.

"What? Why?"

He leaned his forehead on Fuji's shoulder and the grip on his arms was tighter.

"Don't reject me, Syuusuke. Please. Just tonight."

For a moment, Tezuka feared he would push him away and scream with him. But Fuji's hands were on his face, gently and the light blue eyes never seem kinder.

"I've never rejected you." He said, before kissing him slowly.

#############

Oishi looked to his side and smiled, seeing Eiji deep asleep. They were inside the bullet train returning to Tokyo. They woke up early and Eiji's parents prepared breakfast to them. They talked about the udon store, Eiji's cooking skills and they were really thankful for all the help Shuichirou had given him on the anxiety attacks. He also met Haruki and was completely smitten by the baby's cuteness. She also was very comfortable around him and he even picked her on his arms.

He took a deep breath and looked at Tezuka's message on his cell phone. He couldn't avoid him, but how could they move on from that situation? Shuichirou felt extremely betrayed. If he hadn't drank so much, Oishi would never know about what had happened and he would never have the chance to clarify things with Eiji. Tezuka definitely owned him a big and sincere apology if things between them could work out.

He looked at Eiji and, once again, there was a small smile on his face. He was so cute.

##################

Syuusuke woke up and sat down slowly, not wanting to awake Kunimitsu. He was still deep asleep by his side. Fuji remembered the night before and how intense was the sex between them. Tezuka's hands were tightly grabbing his and his mouth never let go. It was like he was making sure Fuji was really there with him, under him, bonded to him. They had sex until falling asleep from exhaustion, Kunimitsu still holding him close.

He caressed his hair and Tezuka woke up.

"Good morning." Syuusuke smiled at him.

"Why are you up?" he asked, hugging his waist. "Stay here with me."

"I can't. I have to work. Don't you as well?"

"The architect reforming my office isn't done yet."

He laughed and threw himself on the bed again, allowing him to hug him and place a small kiss on his neck. It always amused Fuji the capacity of Tezuka to make jokes with such straight face.

"Kunimitsu?

"Yes?"

"Is your relationship really done?" the light blue eyes were serious.

"Yes." He was really sure of it.

"Can we be together, then?"

He was extremely surprised with Fuji's words.

"I already know what bothered you before. I won't do it again." He caressed his face. "I never had any intentions to hurt you."

Tezuka felt his throat tight. He wanted to hear those words for so many years. He squeezed Syuusuke inside his arms and he smiled.

"What? Are you agreeing to give yourself to me?"

"Yes." The dark eyes were extremely gentle.

"Good boy." He said, before they shared another kiss.

#############

It was Tuesday night. Tezuka had just arrived at home when he received Syuusuke's message saying he would stop by at his place on the next night. There was a subtle smile on his face. But, before he could remove his jacket, another message arrived and he was surprised.

Oishi was just around the corner from his place and asked for them to have a conversation. He agreed and it didn't take long for him to be at his door.

"Good evening." He said, gently. "Thank you for having me." He said, before removing his shoes and entering.

"Don't mention it." He atmosphere between both of them were weird. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm fine. How about you? How was Osaka?" Shuichirou was a little surprised with his question.

"It was well. I hope you understand I needed to go. I needed to explain to Eiji-kun that I didn't want him to leave. I needed to apologize to him."

"You left me." He crossed his arms. "To go to that kid again."

"Nothing good would come if I stayed there arguing with you. You had too much to drink and I was angry." He got close and touch his hand. "I need you to apologize for what you did. You overstep and kept things from me. I don't want this to be a problem for us. Please."

"What…" Kunimitsu was extremely confused. "What do you mean? You… broke up with me, didn't you?"

"What? No, I didn't do such a thing!" Oishi smiled and the green eyes were so kind. "We argued but I'm here because I want us to move on from that."

The dark eyes were wide in shock and Shuichirou noticed he was trouble.

"Tezuka, what's wrong?"

He averted his face and took him a long time to find the words and the courage for what he was about to say.

"I… I…"

"You what?" Oishi was so worried. "What happened? Please, tell me."

"I slept with Fuji." The dark eyes finally looked at him.

Shuichirou distanced himself from him like he had received an electric shock.

"What?"

"I thought we were finished. You left me in the inn and didn't reply my messages so…"

"Of course I did." he looked at him angrily. "I was upset with you. You spent weeks without talking to me before and I was always there for you when you needed me to relieve your needs. We had one disagreement and you ran back to his bed? Were you just waiting for an excuse?"

"No, I did not…"

"I can't believe this." Oishi put his face inside his hands, feeling his heart being compressed inside his chest. "After everything I did for you. After everything you took from me."

"Oishi, I…" Tezuka tried to touch him, but he slapped his hand away.

"How could you? I did nothing but to love you during all these years." The green eyes were glistering with tears. Just hearing the word "love" made Tezuka extremely surprised. He had no idea and he felt simply terrible, but before he could say anything, Shuichirou smiled to himself, lowering his face. "I probably deserve this. I was with you while you were with Fuji-san. I knew you were never able to care about me for real and even so… I fell in love with you."

"Oishi…"

He took a deep breath and turned around.

"I'm sorry for bothering you." He said, before putting on his shoes and leaving his place without looking back.

###########

Eiji walked happily on the street, going to Oishi's place. He had written him on the day before, saying his mother had forgotten to tell him about a box of sweets she had put on his bag. He only found it on the night before. They were for Oishi, Haruka and Takumi.

Kikumaru knocked and it took an awful while for Oishi to open the door.

"Hello, Oishi-san!" he smiled happily. "I brought…"

"Good evening, Eiji-kun. I'm sorry I had forgotten you would stop by."

His smile died when seeing his face. He had definitely being crying.

"Oishi-san! What happened?!" he asked, while pulling his sneakers away in a hurry.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, I…" He tried to smile but Eiji could see the tears in the corner of his eyes.

He placed the sweets on the table near and grabbed Shuichirou's hand, making him sit on the sofa. Eiji sat by his side, looking at him seriously.

"You're not fine! Please, Oishi-san, tell me what happened!"

He couldn't put a strong façade anymore. One serious tear rolled down his handsome face and Eiji felt his heart breaking.

"Tezuka and I are done. He cheated on me."

"What?"

"It's not really his fault. I guess he just couldn't help himself. I did left him alone at the inn, so…"

"This is bullshit!" Eiji screamed, angrily and Shuichirou was surprise. "If you didn't tell him you wanted to break up, he had no right in hurting you like this! People don't cheat on who they love!"

"Bu he never loved me." He smiled and another big tear fell. "I knew about it, I tried my best, but even so… I was never enough."

Shuichirou lowered his head and more tears started to roll down.

"So many years of staying by his side, so many years being completely available for him, like a second choice. I cheated on Haruka. I should have known I could never have a real place on his heart. Just took him a minute to forget about me."

Eiji saw his shoulders, always so strong, trembling and he was about to cry as well. He could feel his anger towards Tezuka growing inside his chest. How dare he make Oishi so sad?! Why was he so stupid to not realize how wonderful and perfect Oishi was?! He wished he was strong enough to go after Tezuka and punch him in the face, but he would probably break his hand with that brick expression of his.

"There are some people that don't deserve to be loved." He raised his face and looked at Eiji with the most heartbroken expression hidden in a small smile. "Maybe I'm just one of those."

Those sentences hit Kikumaru's heart like a painful arrow. He just wanted to protect Oishi from all of those hurtful feelings.

Hesitantly, Eiji's fingers touched his face and dried his tears in a soft caress. It was ridiculous how handsome he was even in a moment like that. The dark blue eyes were filled with preoccupation and care when he cupped his face, wanting to dry his tears. Shuichirou closed his eyes, letting himself being comforted by Eiji's kindness.

The green eyes opened suddenly, in an extreme surprise, when he felt Kikumaru's mouth gently over his. The air was stuck on his lungs and he forgot all this words. It was a soft kiss and Eiji looked extremely grown up when looking at him again, with no hesitation or shyness.

"Don't say such a thing, Oishi-san."


	41. Chapter 41

Time seemed to be frozen inside Eiji's mind for a moment. There was only the vast green of Shuichirou's eyes in front of him. It took his brain a long time to realize what he had done and his heart skipped a beat. His whole face became deeply red and he stood up from the coach quickly, but since his legs were shaking he fell to the ground.

"Ouch!"

"Eiji-kun!" Oishi tried to help him out, but Kikumaru distanced himself quickly. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Oishi-san… I…I…" the words were scattered inside his head. "I didn't plan on it!"

"Eiji-kun…" Shuichirou also didn't know what to say or how to act in such situation.

"But you really shouldn't say such things about yourself, Oishi-san! You're amazing! If that Tezuka guy was able to cheat on you, he didn't deserve you in the first place!" he could feel his face burning in embarrassment but his words were absolutely truthful. "I know I'm just a stupid kid and I give you nothing but trouble, but… but…" the blue eyes finally looked straight at him. "I'm in love with you!"

Before Oishi could reunite his neurons to do or say anything, Eiji went to the door.

"I know it's a shock for you! It's a shock for me too, so I'll give you time!" he said while putting his shoes back in a hurry. "But… please, don't hate me!" Shuichirou noticed he was on the edge of tears. "Eat the sweets too! They're very good! Good night!"

Kikumaru slammed the door close and Shuichirou stayed there completely unable to react to such outburst of feelings and information.

On the other side of the door, Eiji put his hands over his mouth, trying to breathe normally.

"_What the hell was that?!_"

#############

"_Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!_" the sentenced repeated itself on Eiji's mind for all the way from Oishi's home while he walked quickly on the streets and continued when he entered his apartment. His whole body was still shaking and he rubbed his own hair desperately, trying to calm down while walking in circles on the living room. It was a good thing he was on his free night at Sakurai. He was in no shape to go to work.

"I ruined everything! Oishi-san is never going to look into my face again! Why did I have to kiss him?! Stupid body moving by itself!"

The memory of his soft and warm mouth against his own returned to Eiji's mind and he touched his own lips.

"I kissed Oishi-san." He said to himself before sitting down on the sofa, his legs finally failing on him.

Eiji could feel the tears pouring down his face and he sobbed. His heart started to hurt and he felt so lonely.

"I ruined everything. Oishi-san's probably hating me now." He whispered to himself, before holding putting his legs close to his body and hiding his face between his arms, while big tears continued to fall.

##############

Shuichirou turned around in bed and looked at the alarm clock again. It was almost 4 in the morning and he continued sleepless. His heart and mind were in a turmoil.

He picked up his cell phone near. There were a lot of missed calls from him to Eiji but he didn't pick up any one of them. He was so worried about him. Was he able to arrive home safely? Was he even at home? Who would he run to while being that upset? He knew his roommate was out of town and it broke his heart to imagine Eiji all alone in that big apartment trying to deal with so much. Oishi was a grown man and even so, he was struggling.

He went from a complete shattered heart to a shouted confession and a kiss in less than a couple of hours. How would anyone deal with that?!

Shuichirou wished he could react like a proper adult. He wished he was able to talk to Eiji, make him sit down and calm him down. Instead, he just watched while he left in a hurry, his dark blue eyes, always so sincere and kind towards him, filled with tears.

How could he ever hate him? He wanted to be able to give him that reassurance as well. There was no time needed for such a thing.

"I'll give you time." He repeated his words and Shuichirou couldn't stop thinking how selfless they were. Even on such stressful moment, he put his feelings first. Eiji walked away to give him space and Shuichirou was sure that was a really hard thing for him to do.

He took a deep breath and hugged his pillow tightly. He would, indeed, need a lot of time to process everything that had happened on that night.


	42. Chapter 42

"Yo." Takumi smiled when Shuichirou opened the door of his apartment, but as soon as he noticed the worried look on his face, his smile stop. "Wow, your face is terrible. What happened?"

"I needed to talk to someone." He said, after he entered and took of his sneakers. "I made dinner, are you hungry?"

"Sure. But, why didn't you call Haruka as well?"

"She can't know what happened."

"Shuichirou, you do realize we are married now, right? Are you asking me to hide things from my wife?"

"Please." The green eyes were serious. He went to the kitchen and started to set the meal. "I roasted some chicken tighs with potatos. There is also rice."

"The smell is great." He smiled, trying to undo his worried expression. "Did Eiji-kun teach you?"

"Yes." His voice was filled with sadness before he placed the food in front of Takumi. He was already sitting on the dinner table. "Thank you for the food."

Shuichirou watched while Takumi started to eat, feeling anxious. His chest was so full and he needed to talk.

"So, what happened?"

"Tezuka and I had a fight. I found out he said horrible things to Eiji-kun to force him to move out. And then, he cheated on me."

"What?!"

"And Eiji-kun came here, he kissed me and confessed. Then, he left in a hurry, extremely nervous, asking me to not hate him."

Takumi drop his food from his hashi and looked at Shuichirou with a shocked, frozen expression.

"Takumi, say something!"

"What do you want me to say?!" he put one of his hands on his face. "Now I know why you didn't want Haru to know! That Tezuka guy is absolutely trash! What did he say to Eiji-kun?"

"That we were nothing but strangers and he should stop being a hassle to me." He repeated, sadly. "As soon as I found out about this, I went to Osaka to talk with Eiji-kun and apologize to him. He told me he was silent about it so he wouldn't create problems between Tezuka and me. But, when I returned, Tezuka had already cheated on me."

"You know it's not your fault, right? How are you feeling about that?"

"Is doesn't really matter right now." He said, sincerely. "Part of me knew that Tezuka was never going to have real feelings towards me. I'm worried about EIji-kun. I've been calling and texting him constantly but he is avoiding me." He took a deep breath. "What should I do, Takumi?"

"Well, are you really surprised that happened? I mean, you and Eiji-kun shared a lot. He's probably terrified of ruining things between you two."

"That's exactly why I need to talk to him! I needed to put him at ease!"

"But what you going to do towards his feelings? You cannot ignore he confess to you. He's probably waiting an answer, right?"

"Yes." He said, quietly. "He said he was going to give me time."

Takumi chuckled.

"Such a good kid, even in a situation like this. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know! I never saw Eiji-kun like that! I thought my heart was going to stop when he said he was in love with me!"

"But, would it be something so terrible, to have a relationship with him?" Takumi asked, calmly, eating a small potato. "That kid always adored you. He took care of you when you were sick, he moved out to not trouble you. Even when he was already gone, he continued to be in touch, right? And you're always so happy around him."

"He's so young, Takumi! He probably doesn't even know what love means!"

"Aren't you underestimating him?" the scarlet eyes were serious. "He may be young, but I'm sure Eiji-kun would not say such a serious thing if he was not certain about it. He treasures you that much. I know it's difficult for you as well, but take your time to process things. You own him an answer."

###############

Oishi was at his desk, finishing reports over his patients. His working hours were about to end and he had already taken off his white coat. A week had passed since Eiji's confession and he continued to be confused about the situation. He had stopped sending him messages, since he would never reply them.

It was also difficult for him to hide things from Haruka. His friend knew something was off, but he would always avoid the topic hiding his preoccupation with a smile.

Suddenly, his cell phone started to call. It was . They had exchanged numbers a few days after Eiji moved in, so they could keep in contact if something happened to him.

"Hello, Yagami-san." Shuichirou said, gently. "Is everything all right?"

"Good evening, Oishi-san. I'm very sorry for disturbing you."

"Don't mention it. I'm about to leave work. Did something happen?"

"Did you talk to Eiji-san lately? I'm worried about him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he started to take his medication for anxiety and he's having some difficult with the side effects of the adaption period. He told me everything is under control, but you know how much Eiji-san hates to bother people. His boss at Sakurai even gave him some free days because he was very sleepy. I'm afraid things are worse than he's telling me. I'm still spending some days at Kyoto, but, please, could you just check on him?"

"I understand. I'll go to your place right away."

"Thank you so much, Oishi-san."

##############

Eiji was sitting on the bathroom floor, his face covered in sweat. He had just vomited and his mind was all blurry. His doctor had told him about some side effects in the beginning of the treatment, but he was feeling simply awful. It was a good thing he was home alone, otherwise Mika would probably call Oishi to take care of him. He took a deep breath and used a lot of strength to stand up. He washed his face, brushed his theeth and looked at his paleness on the mirror for a moment.

"At least isn't raining lately." He said to himself, before leaving the bathroom.

He was going to the kitchen to grab a cup of water when the door bell rang and he was surprised. Who could it be?

He opened the door and the blue eyes were wise in surprised. Shuichiro smiled gently at seeing him.

"Hello, Eiji-kun."

"Oishi-san! What… what are you doing here?!"

"Yagami-san asked me to come and check on you. She told me you're struggling with your medication."

"Don't worry about it." He averted his eyes a little. "I'm just fine and…"

He got dizzy and his hands grabbed on the door.

"Eiji-kun!" Shuichirou held him. "You're definitely not okay!"

"Please… go home, I… I don't want you to see me like this." The red hair was in front of his eyes.

"I'm not leaving you." He said, before taking off his shoes and helping him to sit on the sofa. Shuichirou sat by his side and started to examine his face. "How long are you feeling like this?"

"I started the medication last week." Oishi's hand was on his coldish forehead and he blushed a little with the proximity of his face.

"Were you able to eat something tonight?"

"No. I'm too dizzy to cook anything. I'm also nauseated."

"I see. I'm going to prepare something for you, okay? You cannot stay with an empty stomach."

"You don't have to worry, Oishi-san!"

"You took care of me before, right?." He ruffled his red hair. "I know it will not be as good as your food, but at least it will fill your stomach a little." He said with a smile, before going to the kitchen.

############

"Here we go." Shuichirou returned to the sofa with two small bowls on his hands. One of miso soup with square pieces of tofu and the other one was rice. He placed them on the small table near. "Do you think you can eat a little?"

Eiji just moved his head silently. He was starving. He picked up the miso soup and drank it a little.

"This is… so good." He looked at Shuichirou amazed.

"Really? I'm glad. I've been training the recipes you taught me."

He blushed again and continued to drink the soup silently, on small sips.

"Aren't you eating as well, Oishi-san?"

"Don't worry. I had a big lunch, so I'm fine." He smiled gently.

Eiji had missed him so much. He finished the miso and started to eat the rice in little bits with the hashi.

"Eiji-kun, why are you avoiding me?" Shuichirou asked and he noticed the sadness and preocupaiton on the green eyes. "I've called you so many times."

Kikumaru felt his heart tight and averted his face.

"I… I didn't know how to be around you. I was afraid you hated me."

"There's no way that would ever happen. Don't worry about it." He said, sincerely.

"Really?" the blue eyes looked at him shyly and Oishi smiled kindly.

"Really."

Eiji put the bowl aside and looked straight at him, even though his face was burning in embarrassment.

"Did you think about… about what I said?"

"Let's not talk about it now, okay? I'm here to take care of you. You should really go to your doctor and tell him how unwell you're with the medication. You shouldn't be suffering like that. He can prescript something different that suits you better so…"

"I need an answer, Oishi-san." He said, seriously. "Please, don't try to avoid the subject and spare my feelings just because I'm sick. I told you to take your time, so any answer is fine. But, please, just tell me what it is."

There it was, the grown up façade again. Just a second before he looked like a puppy under the rain. How could his expression change so quickly.

Shuichirou took a deep breath and looked straight at him.

"I'm sorry. I cannot answer your feelings. A lot has happened between us, we were very close and you're still so young, Eiji-kun… I think it's normal for you to get confuse and…"

Eiji lowered his head and he could hear his heart being crushed.

"You think I'm an idiot?" his voice was almost a whisper.

"Eiji-kun?"

"Do you think I don't know what I am feeling for you?" Shuichirou noticed his narrow shoulders trembling. "I may be just an useless kid, but I'm not stupid. You may give me a lot of reasons for rejecting me, but you have no right doubting my feelings."

"Eiji-kun, I didn't…"

"I want to take care of you! I want to make you happy, I want to protect you so you'll never cry again like you were crying for that Tezuka guy! I want to cook you delicious food everyday and make you smile!" he finally looked at him again and the dark blue eyes were glistering with tears. "I'm not confused! It also caught me completely by surprise, I'm also strugling a lot with it, but, I'm absolutely sure I'm in love with you, Oishi-san!"

He stood up, still a little woobly and was about to leave when Shuichirou held his wrist.

"Where are you going?!"

"To my room! I want to be alone!"

"Eiji-kun, please!"

"I don't need you taking care of me out of pity!" Oishi noticed he was making a great effort to not cry.

Kikumaru freed himself from his grip, before turning around and walking away, his heart burning in anger.

"Go home, Oishi-san. You don't need to worry about me anymore."


	43. Chapter 43

Eiji woke up with the alarm of his cell phone. He sat down slowly and turned off. It was 5 a.m. He looked throughout the windows and the skies were dark and the clouds heavy. He took a deep breath before leaving his bed.

Two months had passed terribly slowly since his fight with Shuichirou. It was September already and the leaves started to change colors.

Kikumaru was outside of his building already. He turned on some music on his playlist and put the headphones on. His doctor had recommended he would make some physical activity to help with the anxiety, so he started to run early in the mornings, before going to college. His medication was also changed and he was feeling much better. Eiji stretched his arms and legs for a while in a small square in front of his building before starting to run down the street.

Running helped him clear his mind from the turbulence of the last couple of months. He would concentrate on his breathing, his steps and the landscape around. Eiji liked to see the sun coming up and illuminate everything around. But, on that morning, the sun was shy and it was already 7 a.m when he stopped under a tree, feeling the small raindrops touching his hair.

When he returned home, Mika was already in the kitchen still on her pajamas and with a sleepy expression.

"Good morning, Eiji-san." She showed him a small smile.

"Good morning!" he said, after removing his headphones and his running sneakers.

"Is it cold outside?"

"Not much, it just started to drizzle."

"Want a cup of tea?"

"Sure, thanks!" he sat down while she poured him the dark liquid.

"I'm making breakfast today, what do you think about some croissants? I prepared the dough when you were working last night."

"It sounds great!" he said, before taking a sip of the tea.

"You know, Eiji-san…" she hesitated a little on the subject. "What do you think about inviting Oishi-san to our festival next week? He could try a lot of the new food you learned, so…"

"I don't want it." His smile died completely and he lowered his face.

Eiji had told her what happened, about the confession and their fight when she returned from Kyoto since she noticed he was extremely sad. She had conforted him while he cried frustrated and heartbroken tears but he refused to talk about it since then.

"Eiji-san, don't you think it's time for you two to make up? He texts me every week wanting to know about you. He's really worried. Why don't you…"

"He doubted my feelings." the dark blue eyes were pained. "I told you what he said."

"Did you ever think about Oishi-san?" her voice was calm. "You told me the person he was in a relationship with cheated on him and there you come, pouring all those feelings on him as well. It's a lot to process. He also has the right of being cautious and not wanting a new relationship right away."

"But!"

"You're hurting him, Eiji-kun. As far as I know, Oishi-san did nothing but being extremely kind towards you, even now he worries. He doesn't deserve such a treatment."

Eiji lowered his head. He missed Oishi terribly. It was like there was a deep void on his heart.

"I miss him." He said, quietly and sadly.

"I know you do." She said, kindly, smiling at him. "So go talk to him. Invite him to the festival; I'm sure he's going to love trying your food again and spend some time with you."

#############

Oishi looked throughout the windows of his room. A soft rain was falling. He had just finishing taking a shower. It was Saturday night. After finishing his volunteer shift, he returned home, did some house chore and cooked dinner to himself. He was already on his pajamas. Coming close, he looked at the rainy landscape, the green eyes worried.

"It's been like this for a couple of days now. The thunders and lighting are probably going to happen with more frequency soon."

He looked at the rain drops falling down the glass and he thought about Eiji. Even texting Mika frequently to check on him, he wished he was able to talk to him properly and directly. The sight of the dark blue eyes filled with tears and anger towards him always made Shuichirou's heart tight. He wished he was able to apologize properly for hurting his feelings and explain things better, but Eiji continued to ignore him and he felt horrible for that distance between them again.

Oishi was about to eat the food he had prepared when the doorbell rang. He was surprised for a moment, since he was not expecting anyone.

"Yes?" he said, gently, after opening the door and the green eyes were wide in surprised. "Eiji… Eiji-kun!"

"I'm.. I'm sorry for coming unannounced on your free day." He said, averting his eyes. There was slight blush on his face. "My cell phone died and I couldn't send you a message."

Shuichirou noticed he was with the headphones on his neck and wearing a water proof sweater with a hood.

"Don't worry about it! Please, come in, I…" he was about to invite him to have dinner together.

"I can't. I'm on my way to Sakurai." his voice and expression was serious. It was so strange to see that kind of expression, Oishi thought, before Kikumaru took a small envelope from his pocket. "I just came to give you this."

"What is it?" he said, after picking up the object and looking at it.

"Three invitations for our fall festival at college. It's going to happen next Saturday for the whole day. There will be a lot of warm, rich meals for this season. I thought you, Harada-san and Takumi-san would like to go."

"Really?!" he smiled happily and Eiji blushed even more. Why was he so adorable?! "I would love to go! They would definitely like it as well! Thank you so much!"

"It was Mika-san's idea." He finally looked directly at him, even though he was shy. "But… I… I really wanted you guys to go."

"Eiji-kun…"

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." He was sincere. "I had no right. I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Eiji-kun, I…"

"I would like to talk to you after the festival ends. A proper conversation. Please."

"Sure, I'd like that." Oishi smiled gently. "I also can't wait to taste your food. I really miss it. I miss you too."

"I need to go now." He lowered his face, feeling his heart throb with his words and smile. "I'll see you there. Good night."

"Good night, Eiji-kun." Shuichirou said, before he walked away in hurried steps.


	44. Chapter 44

"Shuichirou!" Takumi waved at him with a smile. He was with Haruka in front of Hattori Nutrition College. It was 6 p.m and they had scheduled to meet for Eiji's festival. It would go until 9 p.m so they decided to have dinner there.

"Hi, guys." He smiled back at him. "Were you waiting for long?"

"Not at all." Haruka said gently. She came close and fixed Oishi's dark grey scarf around his neck.

"I'm starving! Being here is torture, the smell is great!" Takumi said.

"Let's go then, I'm hungry as well."

They entered the building and the floor was full of people. There were different kinds of menu on the entrance of each classroom at the ground floor.

They finally found Eiji after walking down the hallway. He was moving quickly and was busy but there was a smile on his face while preparing the meals on the kitchen with another cook. All of them were wearing pure white clothes. He didn't see them entering. There were other 5 students at the room, Mika included. Another male student was also helping with the costumers. She showed Shuichirou a small smile when he entered the room.

"Oishi-san, you came." She made a reverence. "Welcome to our shop."

"Thank you for the invitation, Yagami-san." He said kindly. "These are my friends, Haruka and Takumi."

"Nice to meet you too, thank you for coming as well. I'm Yagami Mika, Eiji-san's classmate. We also live together. He told me a lot about you two."

"Is that so?" Haruka smiled at her. "Are you enjoying living with Eiji-kun?"

"Yes, it's fun."

"What do you suggest for us, Yagami-san? I'm starving!" Takumi said.

"We have candied sweet potatoes or grilled matsutake mushrooms with teriyaki sauce for entries, beef nabe for main dish and for dessert you can choose chestnut-flavored mont blanc cakes or rosette tarts of persimmon and almonds."

"Everything sounds delicious." Oishi smiled.

"Can we order one of each?" Takumi said and Haruka giggled.

"Yes, it will really help us out." She said, gently. She picked up a small notebook from her pocket and started to write their orders.

"I would like the grilled mushrooms, nabe and the rosette tarts." Shuichirou said.

"Could you bring the same for me?" Takumi asked gently.  
"I want to try the sweet potatoes, beef nabe and the cake, please." Haruka said.

"Thank you so much. I will bring your orders shortly."

"Eiji-kun looks like a professional chef already." Takumi noticed.

"He's very serious towards his food." Shuichirou smiled, watching him.

"Everything must be delicious." Haruka said.

Mika got close to Eiji and whispered at him.

"Eiji-san, Oishi-san and your friends are here."

"Eh?!" he turned around and finally looked at them. His face blushed entirely when seeing Shuichirou. He really came! "Thank… thank you for telling me." He tried to hide it looking at the food on the pan.

Mika chuckled at his nervousness.

"Don't burn the food." She said, before leaving.

Even though his heart was beating fast, Eiji had a wide happy grin while cooking with all his might.

##################

"This is the best food I ever ate in a festival!" Takumi said, satisfied. They had finished their meal and just ended the desserts. "Haru, you definitely should talk to your parents about hiring Eiji-kun!"

"Our chef already invited him to spend some time there." She smiled. "Do you think he would go, Shuichirou?"

"He really liked it in there. Maybe on his next vacations?"

"Excuse me." Mika came close again. "Did you enjoy yourselves?"

"Absolutely!" Takumi said. "You guys are really good!"

"Yagami-san, is it possible to take some of the dessert home?" Haruka asked.

"Yes, I will prepare a take out for you." She answered gently.

"All the food was incredible, Yagami-san. How did your class organized it?"

"We had a lot of meetings on the last two months. Each one of us gave some ideas. Since Eiji-san is the best student in our class, he was chosen to be the main cook and he wanted to offer the nabe. We had trials as well to taste the food before setting on the complete course."

"Eiji-kun is the best student? Really?!" Takumi asked

"Yes, watching him cook is something really beautiful." She was very proud of her friend.

"Did you prepare anything, Yagami-san?" Haruka asked.

"The rosette tarts. Even though I'm not in the kitchen today, it's my recipe."

"Do you want to especialize in desserts?" Oishi asked.

"Yes." She showed a small smile. "Would you like to talk to Eiji-san? He's having a small break soon. I can ask him to come here."

##############

Eiji came nervously to their table. He had removed his short white hat and his hair was even fluffier.

"Thank you all for coming!"

"Eiji-kun!" Takumi smiled. "What wonderful food you made! Thank you so much!"

"Did you really like it?" he smiled shyly.

"It was splendid, Eiji-kun." Haruka said kindly. "We really enjoyed ourselves."

"Such a good work, Eiji-kun." Oishi smiled at him. "You're just improving more and more. Congratulations on being the main cook with the main dish. Yagami-san told us about it."

"Thank… thank you!" he made a quick reverence. "But, you should go to the other classes as well. Everyone made delicious things."

"Are you free soon, Eiji-kun? Maybe we can leave together." Haruka asked. "It's been a while since we all hang out."

"I'm sorry, I'm taking my last break now, because I'm going to stay until the end to organize things."

"Is that so?" Shuichiro asked and Kikumaru could notice a little disappointment on his voice. "I was hoping we could talk."

"Haru, why don't we go to take a look on the other food?" Takumi said, looking at Oishi with a small smile. The young doctor understood he was trying to help out and smiled at him. "Eiji-kun, would you keep Shuichirou company on your break? Otherwise he will be lonely."

"O…Okay."

#############

"Were you able to eat something tonight?" Shuichirou asked. Eiji and him were walking side by side on the college's desert inside garden. The night was chilly and Eiji's hands were inside his pockets.

"Not really. I was so busy and excited about everything, I just don't get hungry."

"You should eat later. Don't go to bed without dinner."

"Yes." It made him happy Oishi was still worrying about him.

They sat down on a bench and he put his scarf around his neck.

"You're cold now, right?"

" A little." Eiji averted his eyes, shyly. "I stood by the stove the whole day, the heat is wearing off."

"I see."

"Did you… really enjoy the food?"

"Yes, everything was incredible. I would never say it was made by students. You can be a professional already, Eiji-kun. I'm very proud of you."" The green eyes were glistering under the moonlight and Kikumaru's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his head and touched the soft scarf.

"Oishi-san…"

"Yes?"

"Why don't you want to date me?"

"It's not about you, Eiji-kun." He looked at him worried.

"Are you afraid?" he raised his face and the dark blue eyes were serious. "About what happened between you and Tezuka-san?"

The question made Shuichirou's chest tight. Was he worrying about such a thing?

"I would never cheat on you." he held his hands tightly. "I would never hurt you, Oishi-san. I promise."

"I know you wouldn't." he showed him a small smile. "But…"

"You said you knew Tezuka-san would never love you. I'm here, right in front of you, telling you again that I'm in love with you. Why isn't it enough? Why…" Shuichirou noticed his hands started to tremble. "Why I'm not enough for you?"

"Eiji-kun…" he took a deep breath, like begging for courage for his next words.

"You can use me to forget about him. I don't mind. I just… want to be with you."

Oishi removed his hands from his and Eiji looked at him worried. Was he mad? But, when he looked at him, there was nothing but gentleness on the green eyes and hit of sadness as well.

"You should not say such a thing, Eiji-kun. It's true that I'm still a little hurt for what happened, but..."

"So, let me heal you, then! Why can't you give me a chance?!"

"Why do you like me so much? Did you ever think about it?"

"Because Oishi-san is Oishi-san! I know you think it's about you taking me in and taking care of me, but it's nothing like that! Otherwise these feelings would have ended when I moved out and these two months we didn't have any contact! But… even now, day after day, my heart jumps when I'm near you or when I just think about you." He lowered his head again. "It hurts… knowing you don't trust my feelings for you. It really hurts."

Shuichirou looked at him and felt so guilty and lost. How could someone so young talk about love so easily? He wondered if Eiji really understood the weight of such words. Even if Eiji's feelings were nothing but puppy love, he right there, chest wide open and vulnerable, offering him everything he ever wanted.

Shuichirou was sure he had a great idealized imagine of him on his mind. Eiji's feelings would definitely wither and fade in face of the reality of having a relationship with someone as old and boring as him, but he wanted to give his little heart a break. He didn't want to see him suffer so much. Shuichirou knew how painful it was to fall in love like that and he hated the idea of inflict such thing on someone else.

One of his hand gently touched Kikumaru's red hair and Eiji wondered if he was comforting him only to be rejected again.

"Okay, then." His voice was extremely kind.

"Eh?" he raised his head and looked at him with the blue eyes wide in surprise.

"If you want to date me, let's do it, Eiji-kun."


	45. Chapter 45

"What… what did you say?" Eiji's voice trembled.

"If you really want to go out with me, let's give it a try."

"Are you serious?!" he stood up, unbelieving.

"I am."

Eiji grinned happily and hugged Shuichirou tightly, surprising him.

"You won't regret it, Oishi-san! I promise I will be the best boyfriend ever!"

He showed him a small smile and touched his hand gently.

"But, first, we need to talk about…"

Suddenly, the alarm on his cell phone started to ring and he broke the embrace.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, I need to return now! Please, don't think I'm abandoning you, it's just…"

"I understand. It's okay, you can go."

"I will contact you later! I promise!"

"Okay." He said, before Eiji left in a hurry. Shuichirou stood up and took a deep breath while watching him.

############

Eiji looked up to the water drops on the bathroom's ceiling. He was exhausted. It was past midnight when he and Mika were finally at home, after helping to organize and clean his classroom after the festival ended. He was very praised by his teachers and was happy everything went well.

He went straight to the bathroom and took a quick shower before entering the bathtub. The warm water was comfortable on his cramped muscles. He put one of his hands over his chest. His heart was finally coming down from his conversation with Oishi.

Kikumaru could still remember how his chest was overflowing with happiness and his face hurt with the wide happy grin he held for the whole night.

He smiled again to himself, remembering the sensation of hugging Oishi again, after so long. He had missed it so much!

"I'm Oishi-san's boyfriend." He whispered to himself, before closing his eyes and taking a satisfied, relaxed breath.

############

"Hello, Eiji-kun." Shuichirou had a gentle smile when opening the door. It was Sunday night and Eiji had sent him a message asking if he could stop by. "Please, come in."

"Good evening." He could feel his blood on his cheeks. He was blushing terribly. "I can't stay, sorry. I need to go to work. I just came to give you this." There was a small bag on his hand and he handed to Oishi.

"What's it?"

"An obento for your lunch tomorrow. It's enough for Harada-san as well, if you want to share with her."

"Oh, Eiji-kun, thank you so much. You really shouldn't worry."

"I…" even thought he was embarrassed, the dark blue eyes looked straight at him. "I promised I would prepare delicious meals for you, so I'm just putting in practice since I'm your boyfriend now."

"Is that so?" he asked kindly.

"I hope you like it. I'm only working on Fridays to Sundays now, since summer vacations ended, so I won't be able to see you on those days, but… I hope we can arrange something."

"How about Monday night? Are you free after class? Would you like to come by? We could have dinner together."

His heart jumped a beat with the invitation.

"I'm free!" he answered excitedly. "I can definitely come!"

"Good." The green eyes were gentle.

"I need to go now." He came close and placed a kiss on Shuichirou's cheek, surprising him. "See… see you later!"

"See you. Have a nice shift." He said, before he went down the hallway.

Oishi took a deep breath and there was a small smile on his face. How could someone be so adorable?

################

"Wow!" Haruka appeared on the park near the hospital and sat across from Shuichirou's table under a big tree. He had invited her to have lunch together. She sat down across from him. "This is beautiful! Is it an special occasion? This obento must have been expensive!"

There were thick pieces of grilled salmon, green salad with cherry tomatoes, roasted potatoes with olive oil and oregano, shrimp tempura and seasoned rice.

"Eiji-kun left it for me yesterday." He said, with a small smile, before offering her a pair of hashi.

"Isn't it nice? You guys weren't talking lately, right?"  
Shuichirou took a while to answer her. He knew it would be a surprise what he was about to say.

"Actually, I need to tell you something. We're dating."

Her whole face froze.

"What?"

"Eiji-kun and I are dating." He repeated gently.

"What do you mean?! When did that happened?! Did you break up with Tezuka to be with him?!"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." He took a deep breath. "Tezuka and I broke up for a couple of months already. I found out he was the reason Eiji-kun moved out. He said terrible things to him and we had a fight. We spent some days apart and he confessed he had cheated on me."

"Shuichirou…" Haruka felt incredibly sorry for him. Her hand covered his gently. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I told Takumi and asked him to not say anything to you." He smiled sadly. "I was afraid you would say "I told you so."

"I would never do that." She said seriously. "I was always rooting for your happiness. You're my best friend, I never wanted to see you hurt. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you." he said gently.

"So… how it happened? Between Eiji-kun and you?"

"He confessed out of the blue and gave me time to answer him. First I rejected him and he was so heartbroken, he didn't talk to me for two whole months. On the day of the festival, he asked for us to date again and I gave in."

"You accepted to date him out of pity?" she removed her hand and looked at him worried.

"Of course not. I really care about Eiji-kun."

"Are you in love with him?"

"No, but…"

"Dating someone is more than caring, Shuichirou. What are you expecting? That you're going to fall in love with him on the way? How is that going to work?"

"Some people start relationships like that, right? Even arranged marriages and they find love between them later on. I just… didn't want to make him suffer. I know how painful it is to fall in love with someone that doesn't see you with the same eyes. I like Eiji-kun and I really miss him in my life." The green eyes looked extremely sincere. "I want to fall in love with him."

"I see."

"Are you against it, Haruka?"

"I just… don't think it's something you can just decide to do. I don't want you on a complicated relationship again and I also don't want Eiji-kun to be hurt. I really like him."

"I will not hurt him, I promise. I'm going to take things slow and have a proper talk to him."

"Okay, then." She showed him a small smile.

###########

Shuichirou looked worried at Eiji. They were having dinner at his place. Kikumaru waited for him to be home and went there after college. They made dinner together and Oishi tried to talk to him about his day, but he was extremely uncomfortable and avoiding to look at him directly. His shoulders were tense and he was eating quietly and slowly and it was like his mind was far away.

"Eiji-kun?"

"Ye...yes?!" he responded nervously.

"Is everything all right? You seem troubled."

"Not… not at all!" he smiled, trying to disguise it.

"Please, tell me what's wrong. I know you already."

"Well… it's just…" he averted his eyes again.

"Yes?"

"It's our first meal as a couple." He finally looked at him and he was blushing terribly. "I'm worried if I should've taken you out to somewhere nice."

"_Ah, he's so cute._" Oishi thought to himself, before smiling at him.

"Do not worry, Eiji-kun. Just being here with you, eating the food we made together, is already good enough."

"Really?" the blue eyes were apprehensive.

"Yes."

He finally showed him a sincere smile and Shuichirou was relieved.

###########

"All set for your lunch tomorrow." Eiji said, gently putting the lid on the obento before placing it in the fridge. "Did you like the food today?"

"Yes, it was delicious. But you don't have to worry on doing it every day. You have your own things to do, right? Aren't you tired after a day of college and working on the weekend? Don't you have to study as well?"

"You don't want me to come?" he was worried again.

"I'm not saying that." He caressed his hair. "I just don't want you overdoing it."

"How can we see each other, then?"

"How about we see each other Tuesdays and Thursdays? Those are good days, right? We can cook together on those days as well."

"It sounds good." He seemed very happy.

Oishi looked at his watch.

"Do you have to go home already? It's almost 8:30."

"No, I can stay a little bit more." He blushed again.

"Let's watch some tv together." He went to the sofa and sat down, smiling at Eiji to do the same. But Kikumaru sat all over the other side. Shuichirou stood up and sat by his side, making him blush even more.

"Eiji-kun, why are you so nervous around me?"

"I… I just don't know how to act. It really hit me this morning that we were actually going out. I am incredibly happy, but I never dated anyone before, so… I'm worry to do or say anything that might be impropriate. I don't want you to regret it." His words were rushed.

Shuichirou stood up and sat on the other side of the sofa again and Eiji looked at him confused. He patted the fabric with a smile.

"Lay here on my lap."

"Eh?!"

"Come. It's okay. I'm going to be hurt if you don't do it."

It took Kikumaru a whole eternity to obey. His whole body was tense when he laid down and rested his head on Oishi's thigh.

"See? Not so bad." His voice was so sweet. His fingers touched Eiji's fluffy hair, like he was petting a kitten. "You know, Eiji-kun, it's still me. You don't have to be so nervous."

"Of course I do. I want to do everything right. I promise I would be a perfect boyfriend." He turned around and finally looked straight at him, with no embarrassment. "I know you don't love me yet, Oishi-san."

Shuichirou was surprise, but, before he could say anything, Eiji turned around again and closed his eyes, enjoying the caress on his red hair.

"Don't feel guilty about it, its okay. I will wait until your heart is ready to accept me. You can take your time."

"Eiji-kun…" he was so touched by his words.

"I will give you reasons to fall in love with me."

Oishi was sure that Eiji had an incredible talent to soothe his heart. He was also amazed by his capacity of being so mature in the most right and crucial moments.

It didn't take long for Kikumaru to fall asleep on his lap. He was indeed very tired. Shuichirou continued to gently pet his hair. There was a small smile on his face and the green eyes were filled with care while observing Eiji's cute and relaxed expression.


	46. Chapter 46

Shuichirou woke up and sat down slowly. There was a shy rain falling and the skies were dark. He looked down and took a frustrated breath. He was horny. He looked at his alarm clock and it was still 7:30. He laid down again and looked at the ceiling. That phenomenon was happening with more frequency now. Two weeks to be exactly, maybe? After having sex in a steady rate with Kunimitsu, his body was missing the lack of activity.

"It's been a month already, right?" he said to himself.

Nothing had really changed between Eiji and him since they started to date, except from him being more at ease around Oishi again, just like the old days when they still lived together and Shuichirou was glad. They continued to meet on his apartment, talk, cook and eat together but nothing beyond that. Kikumaru would always placed a kiss on his cheek before leaving and, aside from Shuichirou's ruffling his hair, it was the most of physical contact they shared.

He remembered how embarrassed and tense Eiji was when he asked him to lay on his lap and, since then, Oishi had set on his mind that he wouldn't do it anymore and would wait for him to take the initiative. Eiji was the one who confessed and kissed him first, so, maybe he felt more comfortable that way?

He turned around, laying on his side and looked at his erection inside the pajama pants, feeling ashamed for it. He would have to take care of it alone on the shower again.

################

Eiji was sitting on a chair inside the experimental kitchen, looking through the closed windows. The rain had stopped and he was waiting for a batch of macaroons to be ready on the oven. It was Friday night and Mika was there with him, waiting for hers as well. Class has ended already. They usually stayed behind to try new recipes until it was time for Eiji to go to work.

The blue eyes were on the garden and stopped on a couple kissing, before going away holding hands with a smile on their faces.

"_It must be nice._" He thought to himself, feeling dishearten.

Even though he said he would give him time, he would always wait anxiously for Oishi to make a move for their second kiss. It was only fair, right? Since he was the one who kissed him first. But it never happened and Kikumaru was starting to worry if the first kiss they shared was bad for him.

He took a deep breath, wondering if he was doing something wrong when Mika realized it. She was trying different flavors of fillings in three small bowls.

"You're sulking, Eiji-san. Is everything all right?"

"Mika-san, how did you and Natsuya-san met?" he asked, turning around to her.

"I came to Tokyo for my last year of high school. I met her when I went to Sakurai to eat some dinner with my brother and it was love at first sight."

"Really?!" he smiled.

"Yeah, I confessed after a couple of months, but since I was still a student, she rejected me. On my graduation day, I went to Sakurai at night and showed her my graduation certificate. We started to date then."

"That's an awesome story! What do you guys do together? Do you go on a lot of dates?"

"Not really, since she's a workaholic. Her only free day is Monday as you know." She tasted a spoon of strawberry filling. "So we mostly spend time on her home. On free days we usually go out to eat. We're pretty much boring, actually."

"Ah, I see."

"Why are you asking such a thing? Want ideas for a date with Oishi-san?"

"I don't know…" he took a deep breath. "We've done cool things before, like going to the hotel on the beach or the festival at Osaka, but we were not dating yet."

"How about an inn? I always wanted to go with Rei, but I was never able to. Since it's cold, hot springs are a good idea."

"No way." He made a face. "It was his last date with his ex."

"If you won't do things because he might have done it before with someone else, you will never do anything with Oishi-san." She said gently.

"What do you mean?"

"You're the one he's dating now, Eiji-san. Don't worry about his ex. For what you have told me, he's a cheating scum bag. Maybe Oishi-san is really in need of spending some quality time with you to erase those bad memories."

The blue eyes were glistering.

"That's a great idea!"

"Isn't it?" she showed him a small smile.

Suddenly the oven's bell rang.

"Oh, they're ready!" Eiji said, happily. "I'm taking those to Oishi-san."

"When are you seeing each other again?"

"I'm going to take it for him on Sunday before going to Sakurai. On Saturdays he has volunteer work at the hospital. I'm thinking about putting the strawberry cream on the dark chocolate ones and the white chocolate on the strawberries."

"It's going to be a good match, especially with the colors."

"I think so too!" he smiled.

################

"Welcome!" Eiji smiled when hearing the bell on the door. Sakurai was full on that Saturday night. As soon as he turned around, his smile was even wider when seeing Oishi in front of him.

"Oishi-san!" he came closer. "What are you doing here?"

"I realized I never visited the place you work before." He said gently. "So I came to do it, since I'll also not be able to see you until Tuesday."

He blushed a little, happy for his words. Was his boyfriend missing him? And he also looked so handsome! It was the first time Eiji saw him with an overcoat that it was not the white one from the hospital. He was wearing a dark grey one over his dark pants and dark blue shirt. He left the overcoat on the hanger before going to the tables' area.

"Would you like to sit on a table or in the tatame area?"

"A table it's just fine."

Eiji waited until Shuichirou was sitting to offer him the menu.

"You have nice things in there." He said while reading it. "Did you cook any of those today?"

"I made the dough and the filling for the pork buns and the seasoning for the katsu sando as well."

"I will have those, then." He returned the menu to him.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Green tea, please."

"I will be right back!" he said before leaving.

Oishi looked around and liked the atmosphere of the place. It was simple but extremely cozy and the smell of the food coming from the kitchen was inebriating. He should definitely invite Haruka and Takumi.

The door bell rang again and his attention was naturally drawn to the door. The green eyes were wide in shock when seeing Tezuka entering the place with a smiling Fuji.

Shuichirou felt the air abandoning his lungs for a moment, especially when Syuusuke noticed his presence there.

"Oh! It can't be! Look, Kunimitsu, is Oishi!"

Kunimitsu was surprised for a moment.

"Oishi, it's been ages!" he said, after coming close to his table. "How are you?"

"I'm just fine, Fuji-san, how about you?" he tried his best to act normally. "Good to see you too, Tezuka."

"As well." He answered with his usual monotone.

"Are you eating by yourself? I always get a table on the back; you should come and eat with us."

"Oishi-san, here's your drin…!" Eiji was about to go towards him when he stopped when seeing Fuji and Tezuka. "Fu…Fuji-san."

"Good evening, Kikumaru-kun. Can we go to my usual spot?" he asked with a smile. "This one is coming with us as well. We were classmates back in school."

He looked at Oishi, sure he would deny the invitation, but he just smiled gently.

"Thank you for the drink." He said, before picking up his tea from Eiji's hand and walking with them to the tatame area.

Kikumaru just stood there, unbelieving, while his heart started to ache.


	47. Chapter 47

"Good evening, Fuji-san. It's been a while." Eiji said, politely, when they sat on the tatame room, offering the menu to Fuji and another to Tezuka.

It was really surprising to Oishi that he was able to act so normally on that situation.

"Did you miss me, Kikumaru-san?" he smiled. "I was traveling a lot this month on work. I just arrived yesterday." He looked at Shuichirou. "Did you order already, Oishi?"

"Yes." He answered gently.

"Your food will come in a minute." Eiji said, but without looking straight at him.

"Could you bring me the usual?" he looked at Tezuka. "Whisky as well, Kunimitsu?"

"Yes." He returned the menu and noticed the slight anger on the deep blue eyes. "On the rocks, please."

"Kikumaru-san, today is pork day, right? I want the pork ramen, please."

"I would like the kakuni, please." Tezuka said.

"Okay. I'll be right back." He said, before leaving and Shuichirou was worried.

"So, Oishi, what's going on with you? It's been ages. You're a pediatrician, right?"

"Yes, I work at the Metropolitan Children's Medical Center."

"Wow, that's a fancy building! I love the lines at that place. You must been busy then, right?"

"Yes. I also do volunteer work on Saturdays, with children from a shelter. It takes a good part of my day."

"Always so altruistic."

"Not really." He really wanted to leave them and check on Eiji. "You said you were traveling a lot for work. Are you working overseas?"

"No, just locally. But I have a lot of projects on different cities, fortunately. Not long ago I finished Kunimitsu's law firm as well. It was totally unexpected."

"Oh, is that so?" he was able to fake a smile but he looked at Kunimitsu. How long were they seeing each other while they were going out?! Did he cheat on him before?!

"Excuse me." Eiji returned with a tray with the drinks and Oishi's food and kneeled next to the table to serve them, still avoiding to look at him.

"Are you married yet?" Fuji asked after taking a sip of his whisky.

"No." he answered with a smile. "But I'm seeing someone and I'm very happy."

He noticed how tense Kikumaru's shoulders were when he got closer to serve his food.

"Ah, really?"

"Yes."

Tezuka drank a long sip of his whisky before Eiji left again.

It took a couple of minutes for Eiji to return with their food and he left, silently, before serving them.

"Ah, could you excuse me for a moment?" Oishi said, before standing up and leaving.

"Sure." Fuji replied after taking another sip of his drink.

Shuichirou found Eiji on his way to the kitchen. There was no one around. He grabbed his hand, surprising him.

"I'm sorry!" he whispered. "I couldn't refuse it."

The dark blue eyes were hard on him but he just averted his face.

"You should go back."

"Please, don't be mad at me. I…"

"I need to go back to work." he said, about to leave when Oishi was in front of him.

"Wait, please." he pick up a spare key from his keychain. "Here, this one is the one you used to have. Go to my place after finishing here. I'll wait for you. Please."

He was surprised with the invitation for a moment before placing the key on his pocket.

"I'll go back to work now." He said, still not looking straight at him.

"Okay." There was a small smile on Shuichirou's face.

###############

Oishi ate as soon as possible and gave them some excuse about being tired to leave. He was physically nauseated to be with both of them. But, above all else, he wanted to talk to Eiji. Why did things turn out that way?! He just wished to spend some time with him, even if on his workplace. He couldn't even enjoy the food he had made properly.

He turned around in bed and looked at his cellphone and it was still midnight. Eiji would be probably done around 5. He hugged his pillow and turned around again, wishing to be able to fall sleep soon so the hours would go by faster.

###############

It was almost 6 a.m when Eiji finally arrived at Oishi's apartment. He opened the door and was surprised to see him near the balcony, looking at the rain trought the closed glass panels

"Good morning." He said, before removing the headphones from his wet hair. He was soaking wet, dripping all over.

"Eiji-kun!" Oishi ran to him. "You're drenched!"

"I forgot my umbrella when I left work. The rain caught me midway." He said, still not looking at him, the wet bangs in front of his eyes.

"Go to the bathroom and take a hot shower! Otherwise you will get sick. I will leave one of my pajamas for you."

"Okay." He said, before obeying.

################

Eiji looked at his reflection on the mirror while inside the bathroom. He was already using one of Shuichirou's pajamas and it was ridiculous large on him. He was sure it would look well in someone tall like Tezuka and his heart was tight again.

When he finally returned to the living room, Shuichirou had already dried the floor and was waiting for him with a cup of tea, sitting on the dining table.

"Here, it's lemon and honey." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." He said, before sitting by his side, picking up the cup and taking a small sip of the sweet liquid. "I'm sorry I wet your floor."

"Don't worry about it. Did you put your clothes on the washing machine?"

"Yes." He said, before drinking again. There was a long silence between them.

"Eiji-kun, I'm sorry for what happened today. But you must believe in me, I had to go and have dinner with them. I couldn't make a scene."

"Why not?" the blue eyes finally look straight at him and they were filled with annoyance. "Do you still miss him?"

"Of course not! I never wanted to see him again. But if I refused, Fuji-san would ask questions and I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. Being an adult is really annoying sometimes. You saw I left as soon as possible. I went there just to spend time with you and eat your food." He looked so sad. "I'm really sorry for upsetting you."

"Were you missing me?" he asked shyly. His expression finally softened a little and Shuichirou smiled gently.

"I was. I really was."

Eiji put his cup down and hugged his torso tightly. Oishi smiled and hugged him back.

"Your skin is still a little coldish. Let's go to sleep? You're probably tired, right?"

"Ah, okay." He released him and stood up. When he was about to go to his old room, Shuichirou's voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep." He was confused and pointed to the other room.

"Don't you want to sleep together tonight?" he asked, gently. "Since you're cold, I can warm you up."

Eiji was sure he could hear his heart dropping from his chest directly to the floor.


	48. Chapter 48

"You… you… you want to sleep together with me?" Eiji asked, his voice trembling.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Shuichirou was worried and got close to him. "You don't want to? I don't want to force you to…"

"I want to!" he looked straight at him, even though his face was burning in embarrassment. Oishi smiled.

"Go brush your teeth, then. There's a new spare toothbrush on the first drawer."

"Ye…yes." he said, before going to the bathroom.

Eiji didn't remember the last time he brushed his teeth so thoroughly. He just wanted to calm his heart that was beating on his ears. Were they really going to sleep together?! And do things couples would normally do?!

He spent the whole month wishing for a kiss, jumping straight to sex was too much!

He took a last look on his apprehensive face at the mirror and tried to fix his fluffy hair, wanting to look a little more dignified, but it was all in vain.

"I look like a potato sack." He felt so insecure. Why couldn't his boyfriend chose another occasion?!

He finally entered Shuichirou's room. Everything was dark, except from one small light coming from a lamp on the street outside. Was his bed always that big and intimidating?!

"Eiji-kun, is everything all right?" Oishi asked. He was already laid, waiting for him.

"Ah! Ye… yes!"

"Do you have a side on the bed you prefere?"

"_Why are you asking such a thing?! Is there a side to choose when you're going to have sex?!_" he screamed on his mind, but was only able to shake his head negatively.

"Come here." Oishi opened the covers to him and Eiji laid down, slowly and carefully with a few inches separating them. He held his hands tightly together, not able to face Shuichirou.

Suddenly, his arms were around Kikumaru's frame, surprising him. One of his hands caressed his hair while his forehead was against his wider chest.

"This way is better, right? For you to get warm."

Eiji was not able to answer. His blood had frozen inside his veins and he had forgotten how to breathe.

"Eiji-kun?" his voice was so sweet.

"Ye… yes?"

"Are you nervous? I can feel your heart beating. It's so fast."

"Of course I am!"

"Why? We have shared a bed before." He said, patiently.

"It was a totally different situation!"

Shuichirou gently touched his chin, making him to raise his face and look at him properly. Even on the almost complete darkness, the dark green eyes were nothing but kind.

"I'm glad you are here, Eiji-kun." He showed him a small smile. "I was so worried you would be mad at me."

"Is that why you invited me over?" he looked at him seriously. "Are you trying to apologize?"

"Is it working?" he asked the most adorable expression.

"You're so silly!" Eiji chuckled and Shuichirou was happy he had finally getting less nervous.

"Oishi-san?"

"Yes?"

"The thing you said… in the restaurant… about being very happy in your relationship. Was that… the truth?"

"Of course it is." He caressed Eiji's blushing cheek with the back of his hand. "It's the first time in a long time in my life Tezuka has no place, not in my thoughts or my heart. It was like I was set free."

"Really?" he asked, shyly.

"Yes." Shuichirou kissed his forehead.

Eiji hugged him extremely tight, not being able to form words. His heart was so happy!

"Let's sleep?" Shuichirou said, caressing his back. "It's almost morning."

"Okay. Good night, Oishi-san."

"Good night, Eiji-kun."

They fell asleep quickly while the soft rain continued to tap on the windows. Even though outside was grey and cold, in that room, under those covers, between them, there was nothing but warmth.


	49. Chapter 49

The green eyes opened and his sight focused on the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was 10:15 a.m already. The rain outside continued and that morning was colored in dark tones.

He smiled when seeing Eiji's sleeping expression. He seemed very tired. His lips were partened a little and he seemed very relaxed. His body was curled close to Shuichirou's like being attracted to his heat.

Oishi caressed his hair, gently, not wanting to wake him up.

"_So cute, even sleeping._" He thought to himself before quietly leaving the bed and going outside the bedroom.

#############

Eiji stretched himself under the covers for a moment, while waking up. The smell of delicious food reach him and he smiled, thinking that Mika had prepared their breakfast already. He was so comfortable under those covers. Opening his eyes, it took him a while to realize his surroundings and sat down, startled.

"That's right. Last night… Oishi-san and I…slept together." The memories returned to his mind and he smiled to himself. He looked at the alarm clock and it was almost 11 a.m. He was about to get up when Shuichirou appeared carrying a breakfast tray.

"Good morning, Eiji-kun." He smiled before sitting and placing the tray down.

"Oishi-san, good morning! You made breakfast!"

"I wanted to spoil you a little." The sentence made Kikumaru blush. "But don't expect too much, okay?" there were a couple of sunny side up eggs, flat pancakes with caramel syrup, toasts, a small jar of blackberry jam and two sliced pieces of thick ham.

"It's so beautiful!" Eiji smiled proudly. "Can I eat it?"

"Sure." He said, before offering him a fork and knife. Eiji ate a piece of the pancakes first.

"It's so good!" he said, hiding his mouth while chewing.

"I'm glad you like it." Shuichirou held a toast and spread the jam on it, eating it slowly and politely. The blue eyes were drawn to the movements of his hands.

"Eiji-kun, did you sleep well?"

He only moved his head positively since he was eating.

"Would you like to spend the weekends with me?"

"Eh?"

"You could come here after your shift on Sakurai on Saturday. We could also spend the day together until you go to work again. It's better than having to come during college days, right?"

"Really?!" he asked, after swallowing hard.

"If you want to."

"I want it! Definitely!"

"That's settled then. You can keep the spare key. But let me know when you're having your tests, okay? I don't want to interrupt your studies. Yagami-san told me you're the best student in your class. Keep your grades high so we can continue to see each other."

"Don't worry about it!"

"Good."

"Ah, I prepared macaroons last night before going to work. I made a batch of strawberry and chocolate ones. I prepared some for you. Can I come back later and bring them?"

"I would love to, but what do you think we have a late lunch together? I could take you home after, since it's still raining."

"Can I cook for you?" he asked shyly.

"I was hoping we could have a take out and be at ease. We could spend a lazy Sunday on bed." He said before eating a bite of the pancakes, not noticing Eiji blushed again.

"Hey, Oishi-san…" his head was down and the red bangs were in front of his eyes.

"Yes?" he was about to have a bite on the ham.

"Why don't you ever kiss me?"

The question surprised him and Oishi placed the fork down.

"Didn't you like when I kissed you back then?" his voice was sad.

"Eiji-kun…" how long was he worrying about it? "It was nothing like that."

"So why?" he finally look straight at him.

"I was just… waiting for you. You're always so nervous around me lately, I didn't want to overstep."

"You were… waiting for me? The kiss wasn't bad?"

His thumb brushed his face and Oishi smiled gently.

"Not at all."

Eiji had a small happy smile on his face.

"Do you want me to do it now?" Shuichirou whispered and the green eyes were serious. Eiji's heart skipped a beat.

"I do."

Eiji closed his eyes with the feeling of Shuichirou's mouth over his. It was a soft but serious kiss and it took him a moment to be able to speak again.

"It tasted like… syrup." He said, shyly and Oishi chuckled. How could someone be so adorable?

They continued to have breakfast and talk while enjoying each other's company on that rainy day.


	50. Chapter 50

"Mika-san, can I ask your opinion on something?" Eiji asked, appearing on his roommate's bedroom's door.

"Sure." She was on her bed, using her computer. "What's it?"

"I want to choose an inn to go with Oishi-san." He entered her room. "But I never went to one, so I don't know what to look for. Also, it must be inside Tokyo area."

"Ah, you're really going to do it, right?" she showed him a small smile. "Sit down. What's the date you're looking for?"

"Sunday, November 28th." He smiled when sat down by her side. "It's going to be my birthday."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'll put on my calendar and we need to arrange something on the day before, then."

"Thank you!" he smiled. "I'm going to ask Natsuya-san for a day off. Do you think she would accept it?"

"For your birthday? Sure." She said, while typing. "What range of prices are you looking at?"

"Something nice but affordable, since I'm the one who's going to pay."

"But, it's your birthday. Are you sure Oishi-san wouldn't pay for you?"

"I want to do something for him." He said, seriously. "I was never able to do it."

"I see." She showed him the screen of the computer and her search.

"These are the ones I found." She pointed the prices part. "Here's the most affordable one. It's on the temples' area."

"Onsen Ryokan Yuen Shinjuku. Almost 12 thousand ien a night for two people."

"Let's see the photos." She clicked on the website.

"Wow, it's amazing! Look at their open-air hot spring!"

"It's a very beautiful place. And romantic too."

He blushed a little.

"Do you think Oishi-san would like that?"

"He's definitely going to."

"It's decided then! I will just have to do more part time hours to be able to do it. Thinking about foods and drinks, it will probably be around 15 thousand yen."

"You will have to work the whole week to have this extra money. Are you sure?" she was worried. Eiji was usually very tired just with college and working 3 times a week.

"It will be just a month, no problems." He smiled. "I will only have a 20th birthday once. I want to share it with Oishi-san."

###############

Eiji entered Shuichirou's home silently and slowly. He was so tired, every step seemed like he was carring a thousand kilos on his back. It was already 5 a.m. on Sunday and it was his second week of working nonstop at Sakurai. He hadn't told his boyfriend about the changes of his work schedule, since he wanted to be a surprised and it was incredible hard to avoid showing how exhausted he was.

Kikumaru watched the warm water falling down from his hair, using all his strength to be awake. Since Oishi had proposed he would spend the weekends, he had brought some home clothes to spend the day and a couple of pajamas too. He got out of the shower, dried himself and his hair, got dressed and brushed his teeth before going to Shuichirou's room.

He stopped for a moment at the door and admired him sleeping. He would always do that before going to bed. Eiji liked to observe his handsome and relaxed expression and he wished he wasn't so terribly sleepy so he could do it for more time.

Oishi was sleeping on his back and he had a small smile on his face when felt the smaller body holding him close under the covers. Eiji had rested his face on his chest and his boyfriend gently caressed the red hair. His shampoo was sweet and he liked the scent of it.

"Good morning." His boyfriend whispered.

"Good morning." Even half asleep, he would always answer. Asking him to spend the night was a great way to make them closer. Eiji was less nervous on being touched by him and they were also more intimate towards each other. Even if the kisses were still chaste and brief they were always very tender. "And welcome."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine." He hugged him back with one arm and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well."

"Thank you." He answered already dozing off.

Shuichirou's hand lazily caressed Eiji's back, up and down, until he also returned to sleep.

#################

Eiji was inside Oishi's arms, his back on his chest. The alarm clock marked 8:15 a.m. They were deep asleep, so they didn't notice when the rain started to get stronger and the wind was blowing fiercely against the windows.

Suddenly, a lighting exploded in the skies and, soon after, a thunder crashed. The blue eyes opened with the loud noise and Eiji's heart trembled immediately. He jumped from the bed, going to his backpack that was on the floor next to the nightstand. With the sudden move, Shuichirou woke up and sat down slowly, still half asleep, not understanding what had happened.

"Eiji-kun?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"It's not here!" he was desperately pulling things out of his backpack. "It's not here!"

"What… what are you talking about?"

Another lightning, followed by thunder and Oishi was finally fully awake and aware of the situation. Kikumaru held his body tightly and he was shaking.

"Eiji-kun." he kneeled by his side. "Where are your phones?"

"They are not here!" he was already crying. "I must have… forgotten them at home!"

Another thunder and he put his hands over his ears, trying to protect himself. His heart was about to jump from his chest and he couldn't breathe. Oishi sat down on the floor and pulled him to his lap, hugging him tightly.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here with you." he rubbed his back, wanting to comfort him.

Eiji grabbed his pajama shirt tightly with his trembling hands and his forehead was on Shuichirou's chest while his tears continued to fall.

"It's going to be over soon. It's okay." he whispered in the most caring tone while he cried silently.

The storm continued for almost an hour and Oishi never let go.


	51. Chapter 51

The blue eyes opened slowly and tiredly feeling the gentle caress on his hair. He noticed he was back on the bed. His body was heavy and his mind slow. He really hated that lingering feeling after his attacks.

"Good afternoon." His boyfriend smiled at him.

"Oishi-san?"

"I'm sorry for waking you up, but, it's almost 5 p.m. You slept like a rock, I was worried."

"Eh?!" he sat down quickly. "I need to get ready, my shift is at 7!"

"Hey, calm down." Oishi sat down and stopped him. "Yagami-san sent me a text asking if you were okay and she said Sakurai isn't going to work tonight. The lights were off because of the rain and they didn't come back yet, so the owner thought it was better not to open."

"Is that so?" he was surprised but he finally relaxed.

"Yes. So, you can be at ease." He caressed his hair. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better. Thank you." He lowered his head, feeling ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Oishi-san."

"What for?"

"For making you worry and take care of me again. For being a hassle to you."

"Hey, do not say such things." He touched his chin and made him look at him. Eiji was so sad. "At least we were together." The green were so kind. "So, this way I could help you."

Eiji felt extremely embarrassed. He laid down again and pulled the covers over his head.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm so uncool. I bet you already regret dating me."

Shuichirou looked at him for a moment. Even though Eiji had an extremely happy personality, it would change completely over his anxiety attacks. He wondered how he could make him feel better for a while until a small smile was on his face.

"Eiji-kun…"

"Yes?" he answered in a depressed tone.

"You still didn't kiss me today." He pulled the covers a little. "I'm lonely."

"Eh?"

"Can I kiss you?" Oishi whispered on his ear and there was something on his tone of voice that made Kikumaru feel goose bumps all over his body.

He turned around a little and finally looked at Shuichirou. He caressed his flushed cheek before bending over and kissing him. It was an opened-mouth, slow kiss.

"_It's…different!_" Eiji thought to himself.

Suddenly Oishi's tongue touched his and Eiji tensed up due to the new and super pleasant sensation. He felt like he was melting. It took Shuichirou a while to finally stop and look at his boyfriend with a small smile.

"Eiji-kun… you're blushing."

"Of… of course I am!" he put his hands in front of his face. "What kind of kiss was that?! I thought my heart was going to stop!"

"Didn't you like it?"

His whole face exploded in embarrassment and he laid on his side, hiding his face on the pillow.

"I liked it very much!"

Shuichirou chuckled before hugging him. It should be forbidden for someone to be so terribly cute.

"Hey, are you hungry? I went downstairs and I bought some food while you were sleeping. It's almost dinner time."

He turned around and looked at him shyly.

"I'm a little hungry."

"Let's eat then? It's not healthy to be so many hours without food." Oishi kissed his forehead and Eiji finally showed him a small smile.

"Okay."

#############

"Eiji-kun." They were having dinner on the living room. Eiji had already taken a shower and changed clothes since he was going home after they ate. "What do you think we go out on a date?"

"A date?" he stopped eating and looked at him surprised.

"Yes, this week. It's going to be our second month together so, let's celebrate." He smiled gently.

"Ah, I would love to, but I'm going to be busy on the next weeks."

"Oh, really?" he was a little disappointed. "Is it something relate to your college?"

"Not really." Eiji felt horrible on lying, so he just went with the truth. "I'm working all week at Sakurai until next month."

"Really? Why?"

"I need extra money for something." He said before eating a piece of grilled beef.

"What's it?" Oishi was worried. "Are you having financial difficulties? Can I help you out?"

"It's nothing like this. It's just something extra." He smiled, trying to put him at ease. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure you should do such a thing? You're about to have your finals for this term before winter vacations, right? Let me help you with the money. Please."

Kikumaru felt annoyed with his insistence.

"I told you its okay. I'm studying properly already. I don't need you helping with money; you already do a lot for me."

"It's really not a problem, I could…"

"I don't want your money." there was a deep frown on his face. "Why can't you understand I want to do something by myself?"

"But…"

Eiji stood up, feeling extremely frustrated. He went to Shuichirou's room and picked up his backpack.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. I don't want to have this conversation anymore."

"You didn't even finish dinner." Oishi followed him to the door.

"I lost my appetite!" he said while putting his sneakers back.

"Wait, please." He held his hand, but Eiji just averted his face.

"I'm very grateful for everything you do for me, but it doesn't give you the right to meddle on things I planned on doing. I know you don't see me as a proper adult, but I'm more than capable of paying for my own things."

"Eiji-kun…"

Kikumaru came close and placed a quick kiss on his mouth, before turning around.

"Good night!" he said, before closing the door.


	52. Chapter 52

Oishi looked at his cell phone again. He was in the elevator, going to Haruka and Takami's apartment. It was Friday night and their friends had invited him to dinner. A whole week had passed since his fight with Eiji and his boyfriend continued to give him the silent treatment. Shuichirou sent him a lot of messages and called him too, but with no responses.

"Good evening." He showed Haruka a small smile after she answered the door.

"Welcome to our humble home." She smiled back, before helping him with his over coat. It was a chilly night.

"I brought some of the wine you like." He showed her the bottle.

"Shuichirou!" Takumi showed him a big smile when his friend appeared at the kitchen. He was wearing a black apron and his hair was tight in a bun. "I'm making beef and potato stew!"

"The smell is amazing."

Takumi looked at his wife.

"You're right, he is strange."

"Didn't I tell you?" Haruka said, before picking up a glass of wine.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been sulking for days. Every time I ask you what's wrong you always change the subject."

"So, this dinner is some kind of intervention?"

"Of course!" Takumi smiled. "So, spill it out, what's wrong with you?"

He took a deep breath before starting to talk

"Eiji-kun's not talking to me."

"Already?" Haruka asked before opening the bottle. "Such a short honeymoon period."

"What happened?" Takumi put the lid on the pot for a moment to give him full attention.

"He's taking extra shifts at the izakaya he works at night. He said there was something he wanted to use the money for. But he's almost on his tests week and he's always exhausted from working only on weekends. I offered him to pay whatever he wanted and he got mad at me. No matter how many messages or how much I call him, he's not replying."

"Do you know how he wants to use the money? Is he in need of anything?" Haruka asked.

"He didn't tell me. He said he didn't need my money and stormed out. What should I do?"

"Well, Eiji-kun is not wrong on being upset." Takumi crossed his arms.

"Why?!" he was surprised.

"You did meddle in something private for him, Shuichirou. If he wanted you to know, he would tell you. You really didn't see anything wrong with offering him money? You guys are dating."

"But Shuichirou gave him money before."

"Eiji-kun used to work for him, it's totally different." He looked at his wife gently. "You probably hurt his pride."

"What do you mean?"

"He's a very hard working kid. Any other young guy would probably use your money, but Eiji-kun always achieves things by himself. When things happened with Tezuka, he preferred to walk away and find a new place and a job than to bother you. He had a job and he's keeping it with his own strength." He smiled at them. "You two would never understand such a thing."

"What do you mean by that?" his wife asked.

"You guys never had a part time job while we were in college. Haru, you're an heiress of a luxury hotel and, Shuichirou, your family spoiled you until you graduated." He returned his attention to the food. "Eiji-kun has to make ends meet. If he organized himself and he's making sacrifices to buy something in a tight budget, it's probably something very important."

"I didn't mean to hurt him." He said, sincerely.

"I know you didn't." Takumi said gently. "But you can't forget Eiji-kun is much younger than you and with a completely different background."

"The last time he got upset with me we didn't talk for whole two months."

"You have to find a way to talk to him, Shuichirou. If a lot of time passes by, things get worse."

"I know." He sighed. "I don't want this to continue either."

###############

Eiji was studying at the library, using a free period without classes. He stopped for a minute, stretching himself at the chair and yawned. Looking at his cell phone, it was already 16:30.

"Ah, I'm beat." He said, laying his head over his notes. It was Friday night and he was already exhausted imagining his busy shift at Sakurai. He didn't even know how many hours of sleep he was able to have on those past weeks.

Picking up his cell phone again, he opened one of his apps and looked at a chart he had made for the expenses for his birthday and the amount he still needed to achieve.

He took a deep breath and wondered if his efforts were still valid after his fight with Shuichirou. He felt awful for having such a reaction, especially after he had taken care of him during the storm. His heart was always tight when seeing his messages and not answering his calls, but he just didn't know how to deal with the situation, since it would mean telling him about his plans for the inn.

"I miss him." He whispered to himself, without realizing it had started to rain.

#############

Kikumaru was organizing things on his locker. It was almost 6 p.m and he was ready to go to work. He picked up his umbrella and walked towards the exit, already with his headphones on. He was going to check something on his cell phone when his attention was drawn to the familiar car on the main gate.

He stopped and the blue eyes were wide in surprise. Shuichirou was there, under an umbrella, with a small smile, waiting for him.

"Eiji-kun." He was so relieved to be able to see him.

"Oishi-san!" Eiji rushed to him. "What are you doing here?!"

"I needed to talk to you. Since you were not picking up my calls, I thought this was the best way." His voice was so gentle and Eiji felt incredibly guilty.

"Oishi-san…"

"Can I take you to Sakurai? This way you won't need to walk under this rain."

"Yes." He answered shyly and Oishi was happy he didn't walk away from him again.


	53. Chapter 53

Eiji could hear his heart pounding inside his chest together with the sound of the rain outside Shuichirou's car. They were stopped in front of Sakurai for a while now and he didn't know what to say. Oishi noticed he had holding his headphones tightly.

"Worried about the rain?"

"No…not at all. If there are thunders, I can stay at the kitchen with the headphones. My boss knows about it."

"I see."

"You said you wanted to talk." He finally looked at him, even if shyly.

"I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't realize I was overstepping. I'm really sorry."

Kikumaru looked at him surprised.

"I just… worried about you. I always worry about you. But, you were right, I had no business in offering you money like that. I hope you know I didn't have the intentions of offending you." Shuichirou touched his cheek gently and looked deep inside the blue eyes "Can you forgive me?"

Kikumaru lowered his face again and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry too. For storming out like that and not contacting you. I was just frustrated. But, you really hurt me. I don't like to talk about money with you. It really makes me feel bad."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not like Tezuka-san." He finally raised his face and looked at him serious. "I searched about him after we met. He's a lawyer in a big firm, right? Even if I didn't know about that, only for looking at his expensive clothes, anyone could know he's rich. Money was never an issue between you two. And now you're stuck with me. I'm only a college student with budgets and only have t-shirts, jeans and sneakers for clothing."

"Eiji-kun…"

"I'm totally aware our situations are extremely different, so, please…" he lowered his head again. "Don't bring such thing up."

Oishi took off his seat beat and turned to him, cupping his face with his gentle hands and making him look at him.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea you felt this way."

"Maybe because money was never a problem for you." He smiled sadly.

"But, I never compared you to Tezuka. Not ever, not once. Why are you worrying about him still?"

His thumb caressed his cheek and he whispered.

"Do not doubt yourself, please. You're the one I'm falling in love with. It has nothing to do with your age or your job. I'm falling for who you're are."

"Oishi-san…" he felt like his heart was stricken.

"I've missed you so much." He said, before kissing Eiji.

It took his boyfriend a while to kiss him back, but soon his arms were around Oishi's chest, their hearts against each other. He wanted to tell Shuichirou he had missed him too, but that could wait. There was no room for anything between their mouths locked together and their bodies pressed into each other. Eiji was already addicted to the taste of Shuichirou's tongue on his and wanted to get freed from that annoying seatbelt when his cell phone vibrate inside his coat and they stopped kissing.

"Ah, I'm sorry…" he said, his cheeks burning in embarrassment, before picking up the phone. "It's the alarm. I need to go to work."

"I see." How Oishi could seem so calm?! He was making a great effort only to reunite his braincells to be able to breathe properly.

"Can I… can I go to your place after I finish here? I want… I want to sleep with you."

"Sure." He smiled happily. "I'd love to."

"Good, then." He smiled as well. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay. Have a nice shift. I will wait for you."

Shuichirou watched while he left the car and ran to the restaurant. He took a deep, relieved breath they were able to fix things. Also, he selfishly wished Eiji could ditch work and went home with him already. He really didn't want to interrupt that kiss.


	54. Chapter 54

Oishi woke up as soon as he felt the slight shifting on the bed before Eiji got close to him. He had already taken a shower and his soft hair was with the sweet scent he liked. He hugged his boyfriend and kissed his forehead. It was still very dark outside.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Oishi-san."

"How was work?"

"Fine. Since it was raining, there weren't a lot of costumers. I was able to leave earlier, it's still 4 a.m."

"Is that so?" he caressed his cheek and got his face closer.

"Yes." Eiji whispered before he was kissed. They were calm and soft at first but, after a while, he felt Shuichirou's hand on his waist, bringing his body to his when the kisses became deeper and more possessive.

Kikumaru didn't even notice when his boyfriend got on top of him, continuing with the long sensual kisses. Eiji liked the feelingn of his wider, taller and heavier body over his, his hips between his legs. Shuichirou's lips were on his face, his chin, his jaw line and he started to kiss his neck as well while his fingers caressed the other side of it.

"Ah!" it was the first time Oishi heard his boyfriend moaning and he stopped, looking at Eiji amused. He realized it and was incredibly embarrassed. "I'm sorry!" he put a hand in front of his mouth. "The sound just now… it was probably weird, right?"

"Not at all." Shuichirou smiled gently. "Did you feel good?"

He moved his head positively before his neck was kissed again.

"Eiji-kun, aren't you tired? We can stop if you are." He whispered and his words on his neck were very distracting, making Eiji close his eyes.

"I'm, but…" he was finally brave enough to touch Shuichirou's hair and his expression was absolutely adorable. "I want you to touch me."

Oishi felt a sudden tightness on his groin with the way the blue eyes looked at him in the almost darkness of the room and the sweet tone of his words.

He laid on his side and kissed Eiji again, devouring his mouth. His hands were inside his pajama shirt and caressed his narrow chest, his thumbs on his nipples and his boyfriend moaned inside the kiss. He could feel the crazy heartbeats on his fingertips. His hands slid on his flat abdomen caressing his burning skin and he stopped the kiss when they were on his hips. Shuichirou could see Eiji's hardness inside the pajama pants.

"Eiji-kun…" he formulated the sentence in a thousand ways inside his head to embarrass him as little as possible. "Can I touch you more?"

He blushed entirely and averted his face.

"Ye...yes."

"_So adorable._" Oishi thought. He knew they couldn't go all the way at the moment. Even if he was willing, he could see Eiji was almost dying in embarrassment. His whole body was tense and it would definitely made things even more difficult for a first time. Oishi wanted to give him time to get used to his touches and the reactions of his own body.

He kissed him again and his fingers entered his underwear. His hardness was so hot and he was already very wet.

Eiji grabbed his boyfriend's shoulders, trying to deal with that new sensation of being touched by him. He leaned his forehead on Shuichirou's chest and bit his own lips.

"_It feels so good!_" he thought to himself, already painful inside his fingers. "Oishi-san…"

"Yes?" he asked with a smile before his thumb caressed the moist head in circular movements, making it impossible for Eiji to hold back a moan.

He desperately kissed his boyfriend, like wanting to dissipate some of that scalding feeling on his groin. Without realizing he instinctively started to thrust into Shuichirou's hands. Oishi knew he was already on the edge and increase his movements as well.

He had a sudden desire of touching the tight tendon of his slender neck. He never noticed how sexy Eiji's neck was and it was the first time he was glad for the small ray of light from the lamp post outside that always invaded his room when the curtains were opened. He kissed the soft skin and licked it before nibbling it a little right before his collarbones. That was enough to make Eiji tremble entirely and finished himself inside his hands.

Shuichirou looked at him and was certain that he never looked more beautiful. His cheeks were flush; his forehead had some sweat on it. He was breathing like his life depending on it and he felt a little bit proud for his pleasure.

With his free hand he pushed his bangs aside and kissed his forehead tenderly. The blue eyes opened slowly and still drunk on love.

"Are you okay?" he whispered with a small smile.

Eiji's whole body was trembling. He wanted to tell Oishi that was incredible and that he loved him but he couldn't reunite words. Instead, he placed a very soft and slow kiss on his mouth and that alone was very difficult since he was still struggling for air.

Shuichirou smiled and he caressed his hair.

"I'm going to the bathroom for a while, okay?" he needed to wash his hand.

It didn't take him more than two minutes, but when he returned, Eiji was already deep asleep.

"Well, he was tired to start with." Oishi told himself, before laying on his back and holding his close.

###################

Eiji woke up and sat down, realizing he was alone in bed. It was already 10 a.m.

"Oishi-san?" looking around he noticed the small paper on the extra pillow, saying he had gone to his volunteer work but he had made breakfast for him.

Kikumaru had totally forgotten that was Saturday. That was the day they would barely see each other, since by the time his boyfriend arrived he was already gone to Sakurai and Eiji thought it was an absolute pity.

He laid down again and hugged his pillow, blushing by himself with the memories of the night before. He wished they could have stayed on that bed forever.


	55. Chapter 55

Shuichirou woke up feeling Eiji's fingers on his hair. It was Sunday morning. The green eyes opened slowly and he smiled at him.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Oishi-san." He smiled back and placed a small kiss on his cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." He stretched himself. "What time is it?"

"Almost 10."

"You woke up early." He caressed Eiji's face. "Aren't you sleepy?"

"I prepared your breakfast." He kissed his palm.

"Thank you."

"I will be right back!" he said before standing up and going to the kitchen. He came back a couple of minutes before with a breakfast tray. There were croissants, chopped fruit, miso soup and a piece of grilled fish with seasoned rice.

"Oh, croissants! Did you make those from scratch?"

"Mika-san taught me how to do it. This bigger one is cheese and these two little ones are filled with jam."

"Thank you for the food, Eiji-kun." He picked up a small bowl. "Is this peach?"

"Yes, chopped peach with sweet cream. I bought the last box really cheap, since it's their ending of season."

Shuichirou ate a full spoon.

"It's delicious."

"I'm glad." He smiled, laying by his side.

"You're not eating?"

"I ate before."

"I see." He continued to eat while Eiji was observing him. "_I love his hands._" He thought to himself before yawning.

"You're tired, right? You should go back to sleep."

"But I wanted to spend time with you." He blushed. "Since yesterday we couldn't do it much."

"Saturdays are indeed busy." He started to eat some rice with the fish.

"Oishi-san."

"Hm?" he was chewing.

"I'm not going to be able to see you on the next two weeks. My tests are starting."

"Is that so? It's a pity. I'm going to miss you." He said gently before starting to sip on his miso soup.

"That's why…" Eiji felt his cheeks burning. "I was thinking that… maybe… we could…"

"Hm?" Oishi looked at him while drinking his soup.

"We could have sex now." His words were rushed and nervous, but he was serious.

Shuichirou felt the miso on his nose when he cough, but fortunately it didn't come out.

"Oishi-san!" Eiji sat down and rubbed his back. "Are you okay?!"

"Ah… yes!" It took him a moment to be able to talk again. "It just… you surprised me!"

"I'm sorry." He was worried. "Did I say something bad?"

"Not, not at all!" he put the bowl on the tray before caressing Eiji's face but he was already sad and looked down.

"You don't want to do it with me?"

"Eiji-kun…" he cupped his face and looked at him kindly. "It is nothing like that."

"So?"

"Do you know how two guys have sex?"

He blushed even more and averted his eyes.

"I… I research about it online. I wanted to prepare my heart for it. I was… really scared at first, but… if it's with Oishi-san, I…"

Shuichirou chuckled at him and held his hands.

"Forget about 90% of things you saw on those websites."

"Eh?"

"Even though the mechanics are correct, that's not real life."

"Isn't not? I thought…." He was nervous again. "It was just… about putting it in."

"It's not." he said, patiently. "There are some preparations you have to do so it goes well. Also, it can really hurt if you're not ready for it or even totally willing."

"Hurt?"

"Yes." Eiji noticed some sadness on the green eyes before he placed a small kiss on his mouth. "I don't want you to ever experience such a thing."

"Oishi-san… you first time… did it hurt?"

"Yes. It hurt a lot." It took him a great effort to talk about such a thing.

"Eh?! Why?!"

"Because it happened out of the blue." It was the first time he spoke without looking at Eiji. "Even though being touched by that person was something I always wanted, I was not ready for such a thing. He was also drunk and he had no idea it was my first time."

"Why didn't you say anything? Or asked him to stop?"

"I was afraid." He raised his face again and it broke Eiji's heart the way the green eyes were filled with so much sadness. "I was afraid that, if I complained, he would finish things and walk away from me."

"I'm so sorry."

"I was painful for two whole days. I missed classes and I was too ashamed to go to the hospital to ask for some painkillers. So I had to endure it by myself."

Kikumaru hugged his boyfriend and Shuichirou smiled. He noticed he was trying to comfort him. He hugged him back, tightening the embrace.

"I want to do it with you, Eiji-kun, but, I want to do things properly. You're too precious for me and it's going to be your first time. I want to give you a good memory of it."

He broke the embrace and Shuichirou smiled at him.

"Let's do it when your tests end and your extra hours at Sakurai finish as well. You're always so tired lately." He kissed him gently. "We don't need to rush on anything."

"Okay." Eiji smiled and there was a small smirk on Oishi's face.

"We can always do other things, like what we did before." He kissed his neck. Eiji's body stiffed immediately and he blushed again.

"Stop teasing me!"

"Impossible." He caressed his cheek. "You're just too cute."


	56. Chapter 56

Eiji was returning from the kitchen when the door at Sakurai opened. There was a wide smile on his face when seeing Shuichirou, Haruka and Takumi there. It was Friday night.

"Oh!" he got close to them. "You three! Welcome! That's a surprise!"

"Hello, Eiji-kun." His boyfriend smiled gently at him. It was the first time they saw each other in two whole weeks.

"Good evening, Eiji-kun!" Takumi grinned at him. "Shuichirou said the food was amazing here so we came to check out!"

"This working man look suits you, Eiji-kun." Haruka said and he grinned happily.

"Come, I'll take you to one of our tables at the back, so you can be more comfortable."

He waited for them to enter the private room and remove their coats.

"I'm so happy to see all of you!" Eiji said.

"Shuichirou was sulking and whining about not be able to see you, so we brought him over." Haruka said and Oishi blushed.

"I was not whining. Don't say such a thing to him."

"Is that true?" Eiji asked surprised.

"Ah, well…" he was embarrassed but his boyfriend just grinned happily.

"Thank you for coming! I wanted to see you too."

"Ah, aren't you two cute?" Takumi teased his friend. "So, Eiji-kun, were your tests okay?"

"Yes! Monday will the last one of them. I have a very good feeling about my grades."

"So, this mean you will be less busy, right?" Haruka asked with a sly smile.

"Yes!" he looked at Shuichirou. "I was going to send you a message on my break. Can I go to your place on Monday after college? It's my day off."

"Sure!" he answered eagerly. He was missing him so much. Haruka and Takumi looked at each other with a smile.

"Could you stop flirting with him so we could eat, Shuichirou?" Takumi said. "I'm starving!"

"What do you recommend, Eiji-kun?" Haruka asked.

"Today is beef day." He gave them the menus. "The hayashi rice and the nikujaga are the most popular dishes of the day. If you really hungry, there's also sukiyaki."

"Haru, let's have the sukiyaki, since its cold outside!"

"Okay."

"I'll have the hayashi rice, please." Shuichirou said.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked for the couple.

"Just water for me, please." Haruka said.

"You can bring beer for me, Eiji-kun! Sukiyaki with beer is the best!"

"Yes!" he smiled. "Oishi-san, green tea for you?"

"Yes, please."

"I will be back in a minute." He picked up the menus back. "Please, enjoy yourselves."

###########

"I brought you guys something." Eiji returned after collecting the empty dishes of their dinner. He kneeled by the low table and placed the cake slices in front of them. It was dark brown decorated with cherries on top.

"Wow, this is beautiful, Eiji-kun!" Takumi said.

"It's chocolate soufflé cake." He smiled. "I'm training to do some sweets for the store. I made this today."

He also had brought a small cup with him.

"This is cherry syrup. It really goes well with it."

They ate a spoon of the cake and all of them had amazed expression.

"This is wonderful, Eiji-kun!" his boyfriend said and Kikumaru felt proud.

"The syrup makes everything even better." Haruka said, eating another bite.

"Are you focusing on sweets now?" Takumi asked.

"Not at all. I just thought it was something fun to learn, especially when I have such a good teacher like Mika-san. She wants to make a carrier with desserts."

"You should consider it as well, Eiji-kun. This is awesome!" Takumi said, eating the rest of his slice.

############

"Goodbye, thank you so much for coming!" Eiji waved to Haruka and Takumi while they were going to Shuichirou's car. His boyfriend stayed behind a little to talk to him. They were at Sakurai's door.

"Thank you for the delicious food." Oishi said kindly.

"I'm so glad you guys came." He smiled.

Shuichirou discretely touched his hand and it surprised Eiji a little.

"Are you really coming to my place on Monday?" he whispered and made him blush with the way the green eyes looked at him.

"Yes."

"Okay." He released his hand with a gentle smile. "I'm going to wait for you."

"See you, Oishi-san."

Eiji watched while he walked away and took a deep breath. He wished they could exchange a goodbye kiss at least.

############

"Oishi-san?" Eiji smiled when entering his apartment. Shuichirou had sent him a message about being home already. He was taking off his sneakers on the entrance when his boyfriend appeared.

The blue eyes were wide in absolute shock. Oishi was using only black boxers.

"Oh, Eiji-kun, you're here already. Good." He said gently.

It was the first time Eiji saw his almost naked body. It looked even more amazing than with his clothes on. The wide chest, the flat belly, the beautiful shoulders and arms, his  
thighs… He turned around, feeling all his blood going to his face.

"I'm… I'm sorry! I didn't want to intrude!"

He heard the sound of Shuichirou chuckling before he hugged him from the back.

"You're not intruding at all. I was about to go take a bath."

"Ah…" the feeling of his body pressed on his back was very, very distracting. "I… I see."

"You're spending the night today, right? Come take a bath with me."

"What?!" he froze entirely.

"Please? I can wash your back." His voice was very sweet.

Eiji released a deep, defeated breath.

"O…Okay. You can go, I'm going to drink some water first."

"Fine." He placed a small kiss on his cheek before releasing him.

Eiji drank that cup of water like his life depended on it.

When he entered the bathroom, Shuichirou was already inside of the bath. There were some bubbles on it, fortunately hiding some parts of his body. Kikumaru was sure he would die right away if it was otherwise.

"You have bubbles."

"Doesn't it smell nice? Haruka gave me some bath salts some time ago, I just never had the opportunity to use it. I thought you would like it."

"It does smell good." The could hear the heartbeats on his ears and stood there for a moment.

"Eiji-kun, are you not coming inside?"

"Ah… can you… close your eyes for a moment? I need to take off my clothes."

"_Adorable!_" Shuichirou thought before obeying. "Okay."

He closed his eyes and only opened again when feeling the soft change on the water. Eiji was sitting with his back to him, hugging his legs.

Shuichirou got close and hugged him again.

"Why aren't you facing me?"

"Ah…" his voice trembled. "I just…"

He felt a small kiss on his shoulder.

"Look at me, Eiji-kun. Please."

"I'm terribly skinny. I always have been. I thought my body would change after I graduated from high school but it didn't."

"Can I be the judge of that? Turn this way for me."

Kikumaru finally turned around. Oishi looked at him for a while. His torso and shoulders were narrow, but his arms were well defined, maybe because of his manual work and carrying things at his parent's shop.

Shuichirou cupped his face and kissed him tenderly for a moment, before looking at him again.

"There's nothing wrong with you. Your body is very beautiful. I already imagined after so many nights holding you close. Now I'm absolutely sure."

"Oishi-san…"

Ah, how could he be so terribly gentle like that? Eiji's heart was overflowing and he finally smiled.

##############

"Your birthday is close, right?" Oishi asked while sponging Eiji's arm. They were sitting facing each other after Shuichirou had already washed his back. "November 28th."

"You remembered." He was surprised.

"Of course I did." His boyfriend smiled, before washing his other arm. "It's going to be on a Sunday. We could spend the day together."

"I'm sorry. I have work on that day." He felt incredibly horrible for the white lie.

"Ah, that's right." He was a little disappointed. "Maybe we can do something on Monday night since it's your day off? We could go out on a date."

"Yeah, that would be good."

"Let me shampoo your hair." He said, picking up the bottle near.

Eiji closed his eyes and enjoying the feeling of his fingers gently caressing his scalp.

"Does it feel good?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah."

"I like your hair. So bright and soft."

"The kids used to tease me. They called me strawberry head."

"Ah, that's just too mean. They were probably jealous. Keep your eyes closed." He gently poured some water on it. Since Eiji's head was tilted back a little, he took advantage of the situation and licked his neck.

"Ah…" his boyfriend blushed.

"Dont' move. There's shampoo yet." He poured more water while nibbling the pale skin and his body trembled. "You're very sensitive on your neck, right, Eiji-kun?" he whispered, before bringing him close, his arm around his waist.

"That's because… you're always teasing me!" he was kneeled in front of Oishi and could feel one of his thighs between his legs.

Shuichirou kissed his collarbones before his mouth was on his nipple, sucking it slowly and Eiji tensed completely.

"Oishi-san!" He grabbed his arms and Oishi's hands started to sensually touch his backbone.

"The curve of your spine is very well defined." He whispered while his fingers moved slowly on the wet skin. "Lumbar, thoracic, cervical."

Shuichirou sucked his other nipple and there was a small smile on his face when he felt Eiji's erection against his skin. He cupped his face and kissed him deeply and possessively and it didn't take long for him to be hard as well.

"Eiji-kun…" it took him a while to finally break the kiss. "Can you touch me? Please."

Kikumaru's face was burning in embarrassment but he obeyed. His hand was around Shuichirou hesitantly.

"_It's...so big and hard!_" he thought to himself. "Is this… is this okay?"

He slowly tried to imitate Oishi's actions the last time he touched his body, but he was very nervous and it was not enough. Shuichirou covered his hands with his and rubbed their hardness together, making Eiji moan again.

"Like this." The green eyes looked at him filled with desire. Eiji finally understood the speed, movements and pressure he should use and Oishi held a groan on his throat due to that incredible pleasure.

They exchanged long, hungry kisses until climaxing and remained silently hugging each other while their breathing and hearts were calming down.

##############

Oishi noticed the deep blush on Eiji's face even though his head was down. They were back on his bedroom. They took a quick shower after leaving the bathtub and they were sitting on bed in front of each other while Shuichirou dried his head. They were already with their clothes on and would have dinner soon.

"Eiji-kun, is everything okay?"

"Ah, yes… I just…" he averted his eyes. "Feel embarrassed after we… do those things. I'm sorry for being so silly."

"Did you feel good?"

He moved his head positively and eagerly.

"That's good then." Shuichirou removed the towel from his head and kissed his forehead. "I told you before; you can take your time."

"Oishi-san?"

"Yes?"

"Did you… feel good as well?" he asked, shyly, but the dark blue eyes looked straight at him.

"It felt great." He cupped his face and placed a small kiss. "Thank you, Eiji-kun."

Even thought he was still embarrassed, Eiji showed him a small happy smile.


	57. Chapter 57

Chiho was cooking breakfast when her cell phone started to ring. She smiled before answering.

"Eiji! How are you? Masayuki just left to take a walk with Haruki."

"Good morning, Chiho-nee. I'm on my way to college. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything is fine. How are you dealing with the rain? There was a pretty bad storm a couple of weeks ago, right?"

"I was okay. The phones really helped." He didn't want her to worry. "My grades for the second term were out yesterday, I'm still number 1 in class." He said happily.

"Oh, that's great, Eiji!"

"I learned how to prepare a lot of new desserts."

"Can't wait to taste them. In the pictures you sent us, all of them look delicious. Are you going to be able to come home on your birthday?"

"Ah, I don't think so, Chiho-nee, I'm sorry. I won't have a free weekend and going just to spend a day it's going to be very expensive."

"Yes, I understand." He noticed a hint of sadness in her voice. "But, it's a pity. It's your first birthday away from us and it's not every day our kid will turn 20, right?"

"I will go home for winter break. I think my boss will let me have some days off, at least on Christmas."

"Really?! That would be wonderful!"

"As soon as she gives me the confirmation, I will talk to you. I need to go now, Chiho-nee. Say hello to Masa-nii and give Haru-chan a kiss for me."

"Okay, Eiji. Be well. We miss you."

"I miss you guys too. Bye bye."

"Goodbye."

###############

Oishi had finished his last round at the clinical infirmary of the hospital and was on the way to leave his white coat on his office when his cell phone rang. He was shocked to see the caller and took him a while to answer.

"Tezuka?"

"Good evening, Oishi." His voice was as emotionless as ever. "I'm sorry for calling you, I understand that I'm the last person you wanted to talk to, but I have a proposal."

"What are you talking about?" he was trying his best to hide the annoyance on his voice.

"Every year my law firm organizes a donation for some initiatives. We're supposed to research places that would put the money to a good use and present on a meeting that will happen next week. Are you still doing volunteer work for a children's shelter?"

"Ah…yes!" it took him a while to believe.

"Could you send me the name and address by message? I will take a look. If it's suitable, I will indicate them for it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Tezuka… why are you doing this? It's a crisis of conscious or something?"

"Not at all. It's really something I need to do. I never have any indications. Since you're so dedicated to it, I imagine they do a good job and deserve some help. But, you don't need to worry. I'm not dealing directly with it so you won't have to talk to me anymore about it. I'm just giving the information to our RP and he will contact the hospital directly if the bonus is approved."

"I see. Tezuka, I don't even know what to say. Thank you very much."

"Don't mention it."

"I will send the info right away. Have a good night."

"You too." He said, before hanging up and Shuichirou spent some time looking at the cell phone, still unbelieving.

############

When Eiji arrived, Oishi was at the kitchen, starting to prepare things for having dinner together, since it was Monday night. But his boyfriend entered the apartment silently and didn't even reply when he welcome him.

Kikumaru was in front of him, showing him his cell phone with a deep blush on his face.

"What is it, Eiji-kun?" he asked gently, picking up the object and looking at the website on it. "Onsen Ryokan Yuen Shinjuku. A reservation for November 27th." He looked back at him before returning the object. "I don't understand."

"They didn't have a room for two people on Sunday, so I made reservations for this Saturday!" he said nervously. "I… I wanted to spend the whole day with you, but…" he looked seriously at Shuichirou even though being very embarrassed. "Can we go after your volunteer work and spend the night at least?!"

"What? You… got a room in a hot spring for us?"

"Yes!" he blushed entirely. "I want… I want to spend my birthday with you! Well, sort of now…"

"Eiji-kun…" he was so touched. "Is that the reason you worked so much lately?"

He lowered his head and moved it positively. Ah, he was the most adorable thing in the whole world, Shuichirou was sure of it.

He came close and hugged his boyfriend tightly, surprising him.

"You didn't have to. If it's your birthday, I should have paid for you."

"You always do so much for me. I wanted to do something for you as well." He said, hugging him back.

"So, this means…" Shuichirou gently touched his face, making him look at him and whispered. "You want me as your birthday gift?"

Eiji exploded in pure embarrassment and he hid his face on his boyfriend's chest.

"Stop teasing me!"

Oishi laughed, before caressing his hair and hugging him even tighter.


	58. Chapter 58

Eiji rustled inside his covers for the 100th time. It was already 2 in the morning and he couldn't sleep. He was too restless due the fact that, in some hours, he would be alone with his boyfriend inside an inn. He could feel his heart jumping inside his chest. He stretched his hand and pulled his backpack that was closer his futon and retrieved a small package of condoms from inside.

Even though Oishi had told him to not believe in things from internet, there was no one else he could ask or any other place he could gather information from. So there he was again, searching for tips on someone's first time. There was a lot of outrageous stuff, until he encountered a text with practical advices. It took him two whole days to create courage and buy the condoms and a small tube of lube in the pharmacy.

He still didn't know how to address the subject with Oishi when the time would come. But, he would probably guess, right? What else a couple would do in such a place, while celebrating a special occasion? He had gone to a place like that with Tezuka and Eiji was sure it was not for talking.

His boyfriend had told him they could take their time, but Eiji really, really wanted to do it. He just needed to have courage to show the condoms to him. He turned around on his back and looked at the package again. Why were there so many? Did people really have sex 5 times in a row?!

Kikumaru remembered all the deep, slow kisses they shared lately and blushed. He liked the feeling of Oishi's tongue touching his and the way his mouth fit so well against his own. Even though he could die in embarrassment he also learned to like all the attention he would give to his neck. He remembered the feeling of his beautiful hands all over his body and how he was not even able to think straight every time Oishi touched him.

He put the condoms back on his backpack and hugged his pillow.

Eiji wondered if Oishi thought about it as well. Did he worry? Probably not. He was 15 years older; he was extremely handsome and he had dated both sexes, so he probably had a lot of sex before, with many different people. That was probably the reason he was also so calm and collected about it, even in the most intimate moments.

"He's probably missing having sex." He sighed worried.

In one of the websites he looked for, one sentence was stuck in his head: having sex is a physical way to show love and Eiji was sure he loved Oishi with all his heart.

################

"Wow! Look at this place!" Oishi smiled as soon as they entered their room at the inn. Even though it was small, there was private bath with waterfall on the back garden. It was a beautiful fall night, even if it was a little chilly, the skies were clear and there were a lot of stars.

"Did you like it?" Eiji asked with a smile. He could fell the drops of sweat coming down his back. He was doing a super human effort to remain calm.

"Yes, it's lovely, Eiji-kun." He returned to his boyfriend and cupped his face, placing a soft kiss. "Thank you for arranging this."

"So… so what do you want to do first?" he blushed and averted his eyes a little.

"Let's take a bath and have dinner after, what do you think?"

"Sounds…good." He forced a smile.

"You can go in, I'm going to the bathroom first."

"Okay."

When Shuichirou returned, he was wearing just a small towel around his waist. Eiji was already inside the bath, leaning on the edge and his eyes were closed. His boyfriend entered slowly and sat by his side.

"Tired?" he whispered and startled Eiji.

"Oishi-san!" he looked away, after seeing his naked chest. "I'm sorry… I couldn't sleep much. I dozed off for a minute."

His hand touched his face and gently made Eiji look at him. The green eyes were worried.

"Are you concerned with something? Or maybe aren't you feeling well?"

"That's nothing like that!" he forced a smile. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"I see." He said gently and Kikumaru was happy his worries were eased. Both of them were inside the warm bath, listening to the water fall.

"The moon is beautiful tonight." Oishi said, looking up. The moon was full and golden shining over them.

"It sure is." Eiji was finally more at ease.

"Eiji-kun, is it really okay for you to spend your birthday with me? Didn't your parents want to be with you?"

"They did, but it would be too expensive to go and spend just one day. I have work on Sunday anyway."

"Ah, that's right."

"I promised I would spend Christmas break with them, though. My boss was thinking about closing the place for the two days. So, I'm visiting them."

"Is that so?" he smiled. "It sounds good. Your family is probably missing you a lot since you're not able to go there so often."

"I miss them too." He responded gently. "Oishi-san, I just realize you never talk about your family."

Shuichirou was surprised for a moment before he lowered his face and Eiji noticed the sad smile on his features.

"We don't have any contact. It's been years."

"Why? What happened?" he asked worried.

Oishi took a deep breath before looking at him.

"I'm the older son, so they had high expectations for me. Marriage and children included. When I started dating Haruka my dad really pressured me. After we broke up I hid it from them until after I graduate. Eventually I told them and my father and I went into a huge argument when he told me he was scheduling an arranged marriage interview for me. When I told him the reason Haruka and I broke up, he said I was not his son anymore and forbid my mother and my younger sister to contact me as well. I was cut out of the family. Luckily I was already working and I managed to live on my own. Haruka and Takumi helped me a lot as well."

"Oishi-san, I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea!"

"It's okay. I've made peace with it. There are some parents that are unable to love their children for who they are. I thought that being honest with him would make him understand trapping me into a forced marriage would be useless, but…" he chuckled to himself. "I was just being naive."

Eiji didn't know what to say. How could someone do such a heartbreaking thing towards his boyfriend? Oishi was nothing but gentle, kind and utterly good towards everyone. He hugged him tightly wanting to comfort him and Shuichirou smiled, hugging him back.

"I'm so sorry." Eiji whispered sadly.

"Hey, it's okay." He cupped his face and looked into the dark blue eyes. They were glistering with tears. "I got a new family with Haruka and Takumi. I'm just fine." His thumb brushed his cheek. "And now I have you too."

Ah, there it was. Eiji was totally drawn with the sweet way the green eyes looked at him. He kissed his boyfriend hesitantly at first, but it melted away when Shuichirou kissed him back. After a while he brought him to sit on his lap and their chests were touching while their mouths were locked together.

Oishi's fingers were on the back of his neck, entering his hair and it felt good. Kikumaru could hear his crazy heart beats and wondered if his boyfriend could feel them as well.

Shuichirou's hands went to his chest and slide on his narrow torso to his hips. He broke the kiss and started kissing Eiji's cheek, his jawline and his neck as well.

"Eiji-kun…" he whispered on his neck and Eiji felt his hardness against his belly. That was the moment he was waiting for!

"O…Oishi-san…" he closed his eyes when he was kissing his collarbones.

"Yes?" he whispered with a small smile.

"I…I want…."

"What do you want?"

Eiji hugged him, hiding his blushing face on his neck. There was no way he could say it while looking at him.

"I want…" he reunited all the courage he had. "I want to have sex."

"What…" Shuichirou was surprised.

"I even… I bought everything its needed, it's in my backpack so…" he tightened the embrace. "I'm ready."

"Eiji-kun… look at me."

"I can't! If I look at you, my heart will stop!"

"_Ah, always so cute._" Oishi thought to himself before kissing his face and whispering. "It's going to be hard to have sex without you looking at me. I will feel rejected."

"Eh?!" it worked. He looked at him and there was an adorable blush all over his face. "No, no, I'm not rejecting you!"

Shuichirou couldn't help himself and chuckled.

"Aaaaah! You're teasing me again!" Eiji tried to stand up and leave but his boyfriend held him in place, surprising him. He cupped his face and kissed him seriously and deeply.

"Eiji-kun, are you really sure?" he asked again, the green eyes looking straight at the blue eyes.

"Ye…yes."

"Okay. Let's go then." He stood up from the bath and carried Eiji on his arms, his legs around his hips.

"What are you doing?!"

"We need to go back to the room, right?"

"Not this way! Let me down!" Shuichirou put him down and Eiji was trembling in embarrassment. "Why are you so freaking strong anyway?!"

"I'm not, you're just not that heavy." He said gently.

"I… I'm going to the bathroom!" Kikumaru turned around and rushed inside. What kind of terribly erotic position was that?! He locked the door and looked at his face on the mirror. He could feel his heart on his throat.

"It's… really happening, right?" he said to himself.

He stayed in the bathroom until calming down a little. He discarded the small towel around his hips and dried himself before dressing in one of the inn's white yukatas.

When he finally returned to the room, Shuichirou was already sitting on the edge of the bed, also wearing a yukata. There was a towel outside and he had dried himself with it.

"Come here." He offered him his hand with a smile and Eiji obeyed. He kissed his fingers and Eiji's heart turned around his chest. "Are you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid." He answered sincerely. "I'm just… nervous."

"I'm nervous as well." He put his boyfriend's hand over his chest and showed him a small smile. "See?"

"You… you get nervous too?" he could feel the fast heartbeats.

"Of course." He caressed his hair.

"Oishi-san…"

Shuichirou brought his mouth to him and they kissed slowly for a long time.

Eiji didn't even noticed when they laid on the bed, his boyfriend on top of him, still kissing him with no hurry. One of his hands slowly slid to his chest, pushing away the yukata fabric and Eiji broke the kiss nervously.

"Oishi-san, wait!"

"What is it?"

"Can you… turn off the lights, please?"

"Why?" he was a little disappointed. "I want to see you."

"You can't!" he put a hand in front of his face. "I'm going to die of embarrassment!"

"_So cute!_" Shuichirou thought to himself, before obeying. Only the moonlight was entering their room. He got close to Eiji again and pushed his bangs aside, before kissing his forehead. "Is it better now?"

He moved his head positively.

"You know… since the lights are off, I will have to touch you even more now." He whispered on his ear after kissing his cheek.

"Eh?!" before he could protest, Shuichirou kissed him again, seriously and opened the obi of his yukata, letting Eiji completely naked. His hands brushed on his chest while spreading kisses on his skin and Kikumaru closed his eyes.

His fingers touched Oishi's short hair and it made him smile. He liked the way Eiji touched his hair on those moments, it was always very gentle. His tongue swept slowly on his navel and to his groin and Eiji tense up immediately. Oishi wanted to give him time to relax a little bit, so he kissed the inside part of his thigh, while caressing the other leg.

"Eiji-kun, when did you get such beautiful lean muscles on your legs?"

"I…" he blushed deeply. "I'm running every day before class on the last months. My doctor told me to do it. It helps with the anxiety."

"Is that so?" Suichirou looked at him before kissing his knee. He also caressed and kissed his calf and Eiji bit his lips to avoid moaning. "Hey… can I get the things you bought from your backpack?

"Su…sure." He observed when his boyfriend went to the table and returned with the small tube and the box of condoms on his hands.

"_It's really happening!_" Eiji said to himself while watching Shuichirou opening the cap and putting a little lube on his fingers while sitting next to him.

"It smells nice." He smiled before rubbing it a little on Eiji's belly. "Is it cold?"

Eiji moved his head negatively. Oishi laid by his side again and caressed his face with his free hand.

"Eiji-kun, if you want me to stop, just say it, okay? At any time."

"Okay." He whispered.

Shuichirou kissed him again. He was so damn adorable with those blushing cheeks. He moaned on his mouth when his hand was around his hardness. It was a different sensation with the slick lotion on it. It was wet and warm and it felt amazing.

"Does it feel good?" Shuichirou whispered.

"Don't ask me such a thing!"

"But I really need to know." He put more pressure on his grip. "It doesn't make sense in doing it if you're not enjoying it."

"_Why the hell his whispering voice is so sexy?!_" Eiji thought to himself. He placed a small kiss on Oishi's mouth before lowering his head and his hand grabbed his yukata. "It feels… great." His voice trembled.

"Do you want to be on top?"

"On top?" he looked at him so innocently. "On top of what?"

Shuichirou felt his heart being hit by an arrow of pure cuteness.

"I'll explain to you later." he kissed his cheek. "I'm going to touch you more now, okay?" His hand slid from his groin to his back and suddenly Eiji felt a finger inside of him.

"Ah!" Kikumaru grabbed his boyfriend's arm. "What… what are you doing?!"

"Relax." He asked gently, before kissing his forehead. "It's okay."

"But…" he couldn't reunite words or describe that feeling. Shuichirou kissed him slowly, his tongue gently touching his.

When Kikumaru was almost getting use to his touches, there was a second finger inside and he was weak on his legs.

"Oishi-san!" he broke the kiss and Shuichirou started to kiss his neck. Oishi was terribly painful already with all his reactions and the heat of his body so close. The way Eiji was responding to him was even better than what he had imagined.

He gave his boyfriend a little more time, while sucking his nipples, before finally retrieving his fingers. He looked at the heavy dark blue eyes before pushing away the sweaty bangs.

"Eiji-kun, I'm going to do it now, okay?"

Eiji didn't know what to say. His thoughts were scattered all over his mind mixed in a fog of pure pleasure. It took him a while to understand what was going to happen next. He watched when Shuichirou kneeled between his legs and finally removed his clothes.

The moonlight touched his naked body and Eiji felt all his heartstrings being pulled. His boyfriend was so handsome and perfect, it was painful.

Oishi picked up one of the condoms and dressed himself with it, before putting some lube on it as well.

Eiji's whole blood froze when he touched his hips before positioning himself. There was something different with the way the green eyes looked at him and Eiji was sure he was about to be devoured.


	59. Chapter 59

Oishi left the bathroom and went to the small fridge inside the room to picked up a bottle of water. He opened and drank it slowly even though he was very thirsty. He had already put his yukata back.

He looked at himself in the decorative mirror by his side and there was a hint of worry on his face. He took a deep breath before finishing his water and leaving the empty bottle over the fridge. He returned to the bed and there was a big lump under the covers. Eiji was there, sulking.

Even though Shuichirou was patient and slow in his actions and did everything by the book, unfortunately, they were not able to have sex.

He thought Eiji was ready to do it. He brought his hips to him and closed his eyes due to the tight sensation but soon he opened them, afraid, when hearing his boyfriend's sob. When he looked at Eiji two big and round tears were rolling down his face and his whole body was trembling in pain. He was only able to say "Oishi-san, it hurts."

Shuichirou distanced himself quickly and hugged him worried. Eiji cries intensified while he sobbed "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" and it broke Oishi's heart. He tried to comfort him, but he went inside the covers and asked to be alone for a moment. Reluctantly, he left him and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

He returned to the bed and laid by his side, gently caressing his back over the covers.

"Eiji-kun… come out. I want to see you. Please." He asked gently.

"I ruined everything." His voice was weak and so sad.

"Hey, don't say such a thing. You already apologized so much. You did nothing wrong."

"Why it didn't work out? I really wanted to do it. I really did."

"I know." Oishi hugged the lump. "But, we talked about it, right? Sometimes it's just not that easy."

"I'm so sorry."

"I'm the one who should apologize. I thought it was okay and I end up hurting you. I hope you can forgive me."

Eiji's chest was tight with his words. Shuichirou distanced himself and laid on his back by his side.

"I understand if you want to break up with me, and…"

"Eh?!" he finally removed the covers from his head and looked at him. "I don't want to break up! Why are you saying such a thing?!"

His boyfriend turned around and showed him a small smile. He caressed his face gently.

"I can finally see you."

"Don't tease me." The blue eyes filled up with tears again and Shuichirou hugged him close.

"I'm not teasing you." He kissed his face. "I'm so, so sorry you were hurt. Don't cry anymore, please."

"Why do you have to be so big?!" he asked, hiding his face on his chest.

"I'm not that big at all." He tried very hard to avoid laughing and caressed his hair.

Eiji took a deep, disappointed breath.

"I'm sorry my stupid body didn't accept you. But, my heart is all yours."

"_How can someone be so extremely adorable like that?_" Shuichirou asked himself. He kissed his forehead and caressed his boyfriend's bare back in a slow motion. " Thank you for giving me your heart, but you really shouldn't say such a thing. There's nothing wrong with your body."

"But…" he averted his face. "You had sex with Tezuka-san, right? Are you not missing it?"

Oishi was surprised with his question.

"Eiji-kun, listen to me. Sex is just a part on a relationship. Yes, it's nice to share it with someone you like, but it's not the most important thing. There's no such a thing as a relationship based only on sex." He touched his chin, making him look at him and placed a small kiss on his mouth. "With you I have everything I ever wanted."

"So, you're not disappointed with me?"

"Of course not! I told you before, don't worry about Tezuka. That doesn't matter anymore."

Eiji hugged him tightly.

"Hey, look at the time." He smiled, looking at the clock on the way. It's 10 past midnight already. Happy 20th birthday, Eiji-kun."

"Thank you." He blushed a little. "Thank you for being here with me, Oishi-san."

"I'm the one who has to say thank you. Thank you for being born." He caressed his hair. "This bright red hair of yours really colored my life. Thank you for falling in love with me."

"Oishi-san…"

Eiji felt like crying again, but he was able to hold it back. Was it really okay to feel that happy and precious?

He hugged his boyfriend tightly again.

"Hey, I have an idea. Let's stay a couple more hours in here tomorrow. We could go out after having lunch."

"It sounds nice, but I don't have the money to do it. I'm sorry."

"It's my birthday gift for you."

"You really don't have to do that!"

"I insist. Please? You already did so much."

"Okay."

"Aren't you hungry? We didn't eat anything and it's late already."

"I could eat." He finally showed him a small smile.

"I will order something from room service then."

Eiji watched while his boyfriend was on the phone near the door and, even though things didn't go as he planned, even if his body was still not ready, he was sure his heart belonged to Oishi completely.


	60. Chapter 60

Eiji was studying at his room. It was Monday night and he was home alone, since Mika was spending the night with Rei. It was the second week of December already.

Suddenly his cell phone rang and he smiled before answering it. It has been two weeks since they last saw each other. December was Shuichirou's busiest month. Since it's cold, a lot of children would show up at the hospital with flues and other respiratory problems.

"Oishi-san! Good evening! How are you?"

"Hello, Eiji-kun." His voice was weak. "I just arrived home."

"Really?" he looked at the time. "It's 9:30 already!"

"I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a shower, eat something and go straight to bed."

"Oishi-san, are you eating properly? Please, take care of yourself." Eiji was worried. "Don't go back to convenience store's food."

"Don't worry. Takumi is making lunch for Haruka and me every day."

"Are you really sure you don't want me to stop by at your place and cook for you? It's really not a hassle."

"I appreciate the concern, but it's okay. You're busy before winter break as well, right?" he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry we're not able to see each other. Soon you'll go to Osaka too."

"It's just for a couple of days."

"I miss you already."

His sentence made Eiji happy and he smiled to himself.

"I miss you too."

"Hey, Eiji-kun…"

"Yes?"

"Do you have plans for New Year's?"

"Not at all."

"Do you want to spend it together? We can have a nice meal and go to a temple too."

"Really?! Yes, I totally want to!"

Shuichirou was happy with his excitement.

"It's a date, then. I will see you soon."

"It's a date." His voice was so sweet. "See you soon, Oishi-san. Good night."

"Good night. Be well. Have a nice day tomorrow."

"You too."

Oishi looked at the cell phone for a while with a small smile on his face, before going to the bathroom. He took a quick shower and got dressed in his pajamas. After eating a sandwich and brushing his teeth, he went to bed.

He looked at the empty side of the bed and felt a little sad. It was weird not having Eiji there. One of his favorite moments of their relationship was starting the day seeing his cute sleeping face.

When exactly those lazy, silent early mornings had become so dear to him? He had already got used to his boyfriend's warmth and the smaller body close to his. Was it even okay to be so attached to someone in such short time? The meals they shared, their conversations, all of Eiji's smiles and even his adorable blushing expressions were very precious to him. If someone asked him the exact moment his boyfriend captured his heart, he wasn't going to be able to answer. The beautiful dark blue eyes changed his feelings like the wild sea in a night storm and now there were only peaceful waves.

There was only one thing that they were not in synch yet: sex. After the incident on the inn, they have tried another time with no success, even though Oishi was careful in setting the correct mood, being patient and slow in his ministrations, but Eiji was still too nervous and it was still too painful. Shuichirou could feel his little heart trembling under his skin. He tried his best to not let his boyfriend feel sad or guilty for the failure attempt. He hated to see Eiji with such a heartbroken expression while apologizing over and over.

He was so terribly tired lately that sex was the least of his worries. At the time he would be more than satisfied just holding Eiji close.

#############

"Oh, this looks nice." Mika said when she entered the kitchen. Eiji was preparing an obento. There were chicken hamburger, rice and vegetables cut in flower shapes.

"It's for Oishi-san." He smiled. "Since we don't have the last classes, I will have time to return home and take it for him so he can have dinner before going to work."

"I see." She looked at the stove. "You prepared breakfast as well?"

"Yes, there's miso soup, rice and grilled fish."

"You're really energetic today, aren't you?" she showed him a small smile. "Are you spending the weekend with him?"

"No." he said, disappointed. "He's still working a lot."

"I see."

"I hope he likes the food." He said, before putting the lid on it to put it on the fridge.

"Of course he will. Your food is amazing and made with a lot of love." She placed some rice on a small bowl. "Oishi-san is very lucky."

Eiji grinned happy with her words.

##################

Oishi was crossing the hospital lobby to ask for some of his new patients files when he stopped, surprised.

Tezuka was there, in a phone call. It took him a while to realize Shuichirou was close. He looked at him like he was staring at a ghost.

"Hello." Kunimitsu said when he finished his phone call.

"What are you doing here?!" he whispered.

"I was in a meeting with the hospital's RP and the shelter's director as well. The donation was approved."

"Really?! That's great!"

"They are probably going to inform you soon. I hope it helps them."

"Thank you so much, Tezuka!" he smiled happily.

"Don't mention it."

"I need to go back to work, but thank you so much again."

"I'm the one who has to thank you. For everything."

Shuichirou was really touched. Even thought his expression was serious as ever, he noticed some kindness on the dark eyes.

"Tezuka…"

"And I'm really sorry for what happened. I trully am."

"It's okay." He said gently. "Some things are just not meant to be. I'm fine."

"That's good then."

On the other side of the entrance hall, at distance, Eiji was looking at them. He had the obento on his hands and he turned around, leaving the place quickly, using all his strength to avoid crying while his heart hurt tremendously.

############

Oishi looked at his watch when he arrived home. It was 8 p.m already and he was a little relieved on being able to return earlier than the previous days, even though it was still past his regular work time. He was surprised when he saw Eiji's sneakers at the entrance, since the apartment's lights were off. Maybe he was at his room?

"Eiji-kun?" he turned on the lights and his smile died when seeing his boyfriend at the sofa. He was sitting with his arms crossed and the red bangs were hiding his eyes. "Hey, what happened? Why are you sitting in the dark?"

His boyfriend sat by his side, worried. Eiji looked at Shuichirou and there was a deep frown on his face. His cheeks were marked with tears.

"How long have you been cheating on me?"


	61. Chapter 61

"What… what are you talking about?"

"I went to the hospital to take an obento for you. When I arrived there, you were talking with Tezuka-san!"

"You went to the hospital today?"

"I wanted to make a surprise and take something for your dinner. I also wanted to see you!" new tears started to fall from his eyes and he stood up. "The food is on the fridge, I'm leaving now!"

"Hey, wait a moment!" Oishi grabbed his arm, stopping him. "You cannot accuse me and walk away like this!"

"Let go of me!" he freed himself abruptly. "I'm not staying here to hear excuses!" Eiji lowered his head and his cry intensified. "I don't want you to give me reasons why you were cheating on me!"

"Eiji-kun…"

"You said I didn't have to worry we weren't having sex." He sobbed. "You said…"

"I'm not cheating on you. Please, stop saying such a thing." Shuichirou was trying his best to remain calm.

"Why was he in there, then?!" he looked straight at him. "He doesn't have a child, why would he go to a children's hospital and why did you seem so happy talking to him?!"

"He wasn't even there to talk to me. I ran into him by chance." he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and opened the last message he had exchanged with Tezuka, showing it to Eiji. "His law firm donated some money to the shelter I volunteer. He was there with other people from his firm and I was just passing by when he gave me the news. That was it."

His boyfriend picked up the cell phone and looked to the message, unbelieving.

"A donation?"

"Yes. Since that day at Sakurai I never spoke or met Tezuka."

Kikumaru looked at the object again, before returning it to him.

"So… you…"

"I was not cheating on you." The green eyes were serious but filled with disappointment. "How could you even think about it?"

"You cheated before! Haruka-san is beautiful, rich and intelligent and even then, you cheated on her! Why wouldn't you do it with me?!"

"I made a mistake!" Oishi stood up. "I made one mistake! You have no right on trying to use this against me! I was young and stupid and I already paid for it! Haruka is the only one who can mention such a thing and she forgave me already!" he took a deep breath, trying to calm down, when he noticed the afraid look on Eiji's eyes. "I would never cheat on you."

Shuichirou sat down, putting his hands on his face while he looked down.

"How many times are we going to argue because of Tezuka? How many times are you bringing him to our relationship?"

Oishi looked at Eiji and the green eyes were glistering with tears.

"You're the one I love, but this isn't going to work if you don't trust my feelings for you."

Kikumaru's heart was clenched inside his chest with his words and the way his boyfriend looked at him.

Slowly and carefully he got close to Shuichirou. He had lowered his head again. Eiji kneeled in front of him and he gently touched his face. He made him look at him before placing a soft kiss on his mouth and it surprised him.

"It's the first time you told me you love me." His thumb brushed his cheek.

"I do love you." He pulled Eiji to his lap and caressed his hair. "Please, believe me."

His boyfriend hugged him tightly and Oishi hugged him back.

"I don't want to fight." He cupped Eiji's face and looked at him. "I want to share only happy things with you. I don't want us to fight. We can't go on like this."

"I'm so sorry." One big, serious tear ran down and wet Shuichirou's fingers. "I thought... I thought you're going to leave me, I..."

He sobbed and Oishi kissed his forehead.

"I'm not going to do that." He kissed his face. "I want to be with you as long as we're good together. So we have to trust and not loose our temper towards each other. Can you understand that?"

"Yes." He whispered, leaning his forehead to his boyfriend's. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He brushed his tears away. "I understand this is your first relationship and you feel frustrated and scared sometimes, but we need to talk things through, okay? If something is bothering you, we sit down and talk."

"Yes." He sniffled.

"Good." Shuichirou showed him a small smile. "Do you want to have dinner together and sleep here tonight?"

He moved his head positively.

##################

They had dinner and Oishi praised Eiji for his food. His boyfriend was still strangely quiet while eating and taking care of the dishes together. Shuichirou was already on his bed when Eiji went to the room, after changing into his pajamas and brushing his teeth. There was only one small lamp lit on the bedside table and there was a nice atmosphere on the room.

He laid by his side, his back turned to him and hugged the pillow tightly.

"Good night, Oishi-san." he closed his eyes, but opened them suddenly when he felt his boyfriend hugging him tightly.

"What's wrong? You're not being yourself." he whispered. "Are you still upset?"

"No... it's just..."

"What's it? You can tell me anything."

"I'm feeling so stupid for what I did." he turned around inside his embrace and looked at him. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay already." he caressed his hair. "We talked about it, right?"

"I've always been afraid of being abandoned. Since my mother left me, I've always fear that my parents would change their minds and do the same and you... you could do so much better than me." his voice was shaking and Shuichirou noticed he was holding back tears.

He felt extremely guilty for not understanding his fears before. It was much more than being jealous. It was a deep and still opened wound he had carried around for so long.

"Eiji-kun, I'm sorry." he caressed his face with his thumb, the green eyes gentle over his. "I had no idea."

"I'm sorry I'm broken." his voice was so sad and Oishi felt his heart hurt.

"Don't say such a thing. There's nothing wrong with you. I'm sorry I made you feel insecure." he kissed his forehead. "But no one is abandoning you. Ever. Your birth mom doesn't have the privilege of knowing you. Look how much you conquered already. You're a good son and an incredible student at your college. You're also an amazing cook already." Oishi placed a soft kiss on his mouth. "And you're such a wonderful person, you make me so happy."

Eiji kissed his boyfriend back, his hands grabbing his shirt and his body pressed on his. He offered his tongue to Shuichirou and they exchanged a lot of deep and serious kisses. It felt like forever since they last had tasted each other and they took their time.

Kikumaru broke the kiss and he took off his shirt, blushing terribly.

"Eiji-kun, what..."

"I want to have sex." He whispered. "Even if we can't do it, I want to try again."

"Are you sure?"

"My heart is restless." He put Oishi's hand over his chest. It was beating like crazy. "Please, calm it down."

"Okay." He kissed him again, making Eiji melt against his heat.

############

Shuichirou was already on top of him, kissing his body. He had noticed Eiji was more sensitive to his touches. Or maybe, he was getting used to it? His reactions were less restrained and he was already hard.

His eyes were closed when his boyfriend removed his underwear. He was enjoying the feeling of being touched by Oishi's hand when his boyfriend started to kiss him as well, making him opening his eyes suddenly.

"Oishi-san…" he tried to push him away by his shoulders with no success.

"Relax." He whispered, the green eyes terribly seductive, before licking him slowly, making Eiji's back arch from the bed. His whole body was tense while Shuichirou pleased him with his mouth. His mind was all blurry. He finally was able to sit down, already feeling himself at the edge.

"Oishi-san, please… I'm almost…"

Shuichirou finally removed his clothes and Eiji's heart turned around his chest. He laid on his side, trying to control his nervousness and he heard the opening and closing of the drawn on the bedside table. He had picked up the lotion and a condom.

His boyfriend hugged him from his back, kissing his neck slowly.

"Eiji, look at me." Kikumaru was extremely surprised and turned his face a little.

"My name… you…"

His boyfriend kissed him hungrily, rubbing his hardness on him. Eiji moaned on his mouth when he felt his touch inside of him and his heart raced. They kissed for a long time while Shuichirou was making sure his body was ready.

"_I think it's fine now._" He thought to himself, before being on top of him. He kissed every part of Kikumaru's bare back, while putting the condom and the lotion on himself. "Your back is so beautiful. All of you is so beautiful.'

Eiji was lying on his stomach and Oishi held his hand while his other arm was around his hips, lifting it a little.

He entered him slowly and carefuly and Eiji's fingers enlaced on Shuichirou's in a tight grip.

"Eiji, are you okay?" he whispered on his ear and his voice was so damn gentle. Kikumaru's breathing was deep and slow while he tried to deal with that new sensation. "Does it hurt?"

"It… doesn't…hurt."

"Are you sure?"

He moved his head positively.

Oishi shift his hips a little, wanting to give him time to adjust to him and Eiji held back a moan on his troath. It already felt amazing just being inside of him. Shuichirou could feel the blood rushing all over his body.

"Can I move?" he asked, gently kissing his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Yes." One blue eye looked at him through the sweaty bangs. "Please."

He kissed his cheek before obeying. While their bodies moved together, Shuichirou repeated his name many times in the sweetest tone and Eiji felt like his heart was about to explode while never letting go of his hand.


	62. Chapter 62

"Good morning, Eiji." Oishi said, with a gentle smile, entering the kitchen. He was using his just pajama pants. Eiji had already taken a bath and put some clothes to go to college. He was finishing preparing scrambled eggs when he heard his boyfriend's voice and he blushed deeply, looking at the frying pan.

"Good… good morning, Oishi-san."

"_Still embarrassed?_" he asked to himself. Coming close, he hugged Eiji from his back and placed a small kiss on his cheek. "Is your body okay? Do you feel any discomfort?"

He moved his head negatively.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" he kissed his neck while whispering. "Are you regretting what we have done?"

"No!" he finally faced him. "Not at all!"

Shuichirou chuckled and Kikumaru blushed even more.

"Stop teasing me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He tightened the embrace. "It's just, I woke up and you were not there. It scared me a little bit."

"I wanted to make your breakfast. It's been a while since I last did it. So, please, sit down."

"Okay."

He watched while Eiji put the food down on the table and smiled when he sat across from him. There were scrambled eggs, grilled salmon, salad, rice and miso soup.

"Thank you for the food." He said, before starting to eat. "So good!"

There was a small smile on his boyfriend's face while observing him eat. It took Eiji a while to start eating as well.

"I'm sorry I have to go to work." He said, after eating a piece of the fish.

"It's okay. I have to go to college as well."

"I see." He returned to eat and Eiji too. "Hey, Eiji." He had finished eating some rice. His boyfriend just looked at him since he was eating the eggs. "How was last night for you?"

The blue eyes were wide in shock and he coughed. Oishi sat by his side and rubbed his back.

"Here, drink this!" His boyfriend picked up the miso soup small bowl he offered and drank it quickly. "Are you okay?"

"Why are asking me such thing?!" he was blushing even more.

"Because it was your first time. I need to know if you liked it." He was genuinely worried and the way the green eyes looked at him made Eiji's heart turned around his chest.

"Of... of course I did!" he averted his eyes. "Couldn't you tell?! It felt amazing, I thought I was going to faint!"

Shuichirou's fingers gently touched his face, making Eiji look at him.

"Really?" he asked seriously.

"Ye…yes."

Oishi smiled happily. He was about to kiss his boyfriend when Eiji interrupted him.

"What… what about you? Were you able to… enjoy yourself?" even though he was terribly embarrassed, the blue eyes looked straight at him.

"It was the best." He whispered. "You were so cute."

Eiji lowered his face and his boyfriend smiled. It was too easy to tease him and his reactions were so adorable, he had to do it. Shuichirou placed a small kiss on his mouth before leaning his forehead on his, looking deep inside the dark blue eyes.

"Thank you for giving yourself to me."

"_Ah, I love him._" Eiji thought to himself before his arms were around his neck and he kissed him back.

################

Shuichirou was at his office, looking at some files when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in." he said, gently and smiled when Takumi opened the door. "Takumi! What are you doing here?"

"It's almost lunch time." He showed him an obento. "I had a free hour at work today, so I came to eat with you guys."

"Ah, that's right." He looked at his watch.

"Are you coming? Since it's cold, Haru and I will eat at the stairs."

"Sure! I will be there in a minute."

When Oishi arrived at the top of the stairs of the management floor Haruka was already there with her husband. Since it was also the storage space, it was a quiet spot and sometimes he would eat there with Haruka when they wanted to talk in private.

"There he is." Haruka smiled at him. "Good work today, Oishi-sensei."

""I don't even remember the last time we were able to eat together." He sat by her side.

"I made hamburguer." Takumi removed the lid of the obento and there were hamburguer, rice and steamed vegetables.

"Ah, it smells so good!"

Haruka and Takumi looked at each other with a small smile.

"Haruka was craving for it."

"Craving?"

"We want to show you something." She picked up a small photo from her pocket and gave it to him.

The green eyes were wide in absolute surprise. It was an ultrasound.

"This… is this…?"

"Ours." Takumi said, proudly. "She's six weeks along."

"Really?!" he looked at Haruka.

"I was feeling a little funny for a while and I had a pregnancy test at home. We went to the doctor yesterday to confirm it."

"Oh, this is great! Congratulations!"

He hugged his friend tightly.

"You guys are going to be awesome parents!"

"My father cried on the phone when we sent him the photo."

"It's going to be born around summer time." Takumi smiled at Shuichirou. "You know you're going to be this kid uncle, right? Prepare yourself."

"Of course! I'm already anxious!" he was so happy for them.


	63. Chapter 63

"Eiji, I'm home." Shuichirou said when he entered his apartment, but when he was taking off his shoes, his boyfriend appeared in front of him.

"Welcome home, Oishi-san!" he smiled at him. "Please, close your eyes!"

"Why?" he asked while his boyfriend helped him to take off his scarf and overcoat. "Oh, something smells good."

"Just, close your eyes." He asked, holding his hand.

"Okay, okay." He obeyed while he was taken to sit on the dining table.

"It will be just a minute!"

He heard the clattering of the dishes and the quick steps around him. Since Shuichirou was still very busy at the hospital, it was the first time they saw each other in a while.

"You can look now!"

When the green eyes were opened, there was a small banquet in front of him. There were deep fried chicken, baked potatoes and green leaves salad with prosciutto and a golden dressing.

"Wow! Eiji, this is wonderful!" he smiled at him. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, since I'll be going to Osaka tomorrow and we won't spend Christmas together, I wanted us to have a proper Christmas dinner." There was a slight blush on his face. He was sitting across from Oishi and he stretched his hand, touching it gentle.

"Thank you so much, Eiji. Everything is so beautiful."

"It's my first time doing this salad. I made yuzu dressing, I hope it's okay. There's also a cake in the fridge and I prepared a box of wagashi to Harada-san and Takumi-san, as Christmas gift.

"You can do those?! That's amazing!"

"It was the last dessert classes before winter break. I really like doing those. I made some for you to eat as well, so you can taste them."

"You spoil me so much. Thank you."

"So, let's eat? You must been hungry, right?"

"Yeah, I'm starving."

Eiji served him and Shuichirou picked up a pair of hashi.

"Thank you for the food." He said, before starting to eat a piece of chicken.

"Is it okay?"

"It's awesome!" he said after finishing.

"I'm glad!" he smiled before starting to eat.

"About Osaka tomorrow, what time are you leaving?"

"I would like to arrive there early, so I think 8 a.m it's okay."

"I see." He smiled before eating some of the salad. "I will take you to the train station then."

"You don't need to worry. I don't want to bother you."

"No bother at all, it's on the way to the hospital." he said kindly. "And this way I can kiss you goodbye."

"Okay." Eiji smiled, blushing a little. "How's Harada-san? Is she and the baby okay?" Shuichirou had called him to tell him about the baby on the same day he found it out as well.

"She's okay. Takumi and her are going to spend Christmas with her parents, there is always a big banquet at the hotel."

"Ah, it must be great!"

"We can go someday if you want to."

"Really?!" the blue eyes sparkled. "I wanna go!"

Shuichirou loved to see him excited about plans together. He was always so cute.

It took them a while to finish dinner while talking to each other.

"Everything was delicious, Eiji-kun. Thank you so much."

He grinned happily, removing some of the dishes and standing up.

"Do you want to eat the cake now?"

"Can you give me some time? So I can take a shower."

"Sure. I will mind the dishes."

When Shuichirou returned from the bathroom, his boyfriend was humming some tune while organizing the clean dishes on the kitchen cabinets. He stopped and leaned on the wall for a while, a small smile on his face. Having someone to prepare you a thoughtful meal, sharing a nice conversation. That moment, he thought, it was happiness.

"Eiji, you should move back here."

"Eh?!" the blue eyes were wide in surprise.

"We can spend more time together. It also be good for you, financially speaking. You have expenses living with Yagami-san, right?"

Kikumaru looked at him for a moment, before taking a deep breath. He cleaned his hands with a towel before walking towards him.

"Let's sit and talk."

"Are you okay?" he asked when he held his hand and brought him to the sofa, sitting by his side.

"We said we should sit down and talk about important things." The blue eyes looked straight at him. "I don't want to live together with you."

"Why not?" he was hurt.

"Don't make this face, please! It's just… I want to be someone reliable to you."

"What do you mean?"

"If we ever going to live together again, I want to do it like a proper adult. Pay half of the bills and stuff."

"You thought about it?" he caressed his face and looked at him gently.

"Well, yeah." He blushed again. "Isn't it how relationships work? I loved living together with you. I want to do it again someday."

Shuichirou cupped his face and kissed him tenderly.

"I'd like that too."

Eiji smiled and kissed him back.

They finished the dinner with a slice of the beautiful Christmas cake Eiji had baked. It had white frosting covered with chocolate and strawberry pieces on the top and filled with strawberry jam. It was very good and Oishi loved it.

##############

The sound of deep kisses being exchanged filled Shuichirou's dark room. Eiji was on his lap and they were already naked. His boyfriend's hands were touching his torso slowly, enjoying the warmth of his skin. Oishi was happy Eiji was the one who took the initiative again and, even if he was still a little shy, he was less nervous this time.

His boyfriend was about to make him lay down when Kikumaru broke the kiss gently and looked at him.

"Oishi-san, wait, please."

"What's wrong?" he investigated his face on the almost darkness of the room. There was only the lamp post outside faintly illuminating the place. "You don't want to do it anymore?"

"No, it's not that, it's just… can I touch you? You're always touching me and…" he blushed. "I want to touch you too."

"Really?" he asked with a small smile.

"I will probably be no good, but…"

He smiled before laying down.

"You can do whatever you want."

Eiji swallowed hard, reuniting courage. His green eyes were so alluring and his boyfriend had a very interested expression on. Kikumaru's hand softly caressed his cheek and Shuichirou kissed the palm of his hand. He placed small kisses on his face and neck and his boyfriend found it adorable.

"_He always smells so good._" Eiji thought to himself before starting to spread butterfly kisses on his chest.

Shuichirou caressed his hair when he was kissing his abdomen.

"Satisfied?"

He laid his cheek on Oishi's navel and, even though he was still blushing, the blue eyes were serious.

"I want to kiss you here." He caressed his boyfriend. "Can I?"

Shuichirou noticed the complete lack of hesitance in his expression.

"Yes, please."

Eiji wished he could control the trembling of his fingers when he gently touched him, hesitantly at first. Shuichirou took a deep, satisfied breath when he started to use his mouth as well.

His hand touched Eiji's nape and he closed his eyes when his boyfriend started to lick him and use his fingers too. Where did he learn such a thing? Oishi was already so hard and throbbing.

"_He's really big._" Eiji thought to himself. He softly nibbled the end of his shaft and his boyfriend closed his eyes, moving a little. "Oishi-san?!" he stopped, worried. "Are you okay, did I hurt you?!"

"You did not." He looked at him with the green eyes heavy with pleasure. "It felt so good."

Eiji felt incredibly accomplished. He continued until he made his boyfriend tremble and Oishi removed himself from his mouth.

"What…?" Before he could ask, Shuichirou was on top of him, looking at him seriously.

"I don't want to finish just yet." He whispered before kissing him possessively.

###########

"Oishi-san…" he sighed when Oishi sucked his nipple. Eiji was already painfully hard while his boyfriend's fingers were inside of him.

"Yes? Tell me what you want." he licked his neck and Kikumaru put his hand in front of his flushed face.

"Don't… ask me…such a thing!" his voice trembled and his boyfriend realized he was impatient.

"_So cute._" He thought to himself before distancing a little to put on the condom and the lube.

Oishi held one of Eiji's leg high and kissed his calf, the green eyes piercing the blue ones. Kikumaru's back was pressed on the pillows when Shuichirou entered him and he held his shoulders tightly. He took deep breathes, trying to get used to that new position. It was deeper than the first time. He could feel Oishi's entire body glued on his.

"Eiji, are you okay?" Shuichirou whispered, caressing his face. Even on those moments he never stopped worrying about him.

He couldn't use words. Eiji kissed him hungrily. His legs were around his hips instinctively while Shuichirou started to thrust and Eiji felt like he was being compressed by a steamroller of raw pleasure.


	64. Chapter 64

Eiji opened his eyes slowly, feeling the scent of fresh coffee near. He was laying on his stomach and he looked at the windows for a while, while his brain was also waking up. He was completely naked on Shuichirou's bed, the loose covers on a small part of his back.

"It's morning already." He said to himself before moving a little.

"Good morning, Eiji."

The blue eyes were wide in absolute shock and Eiji sat down in a jump. His boyfriend was sitting on the chair at his room, drinking a cup of coffee, already bathed and with his working clothes.

"I was waiting the time to wake you up." He said gently.

"Oishi-san!" he collected the covers and put it in front of his groin, trying to hide his nakedness. His butt was completely out on plain daylight! "Why did you let me be like that?!" he was blushing profusely.

Shuichirou chuckled and placed the mug on the bed side table before sitting on the bed.

"I tried to cover you up many times, but you always kicked the sheets."

Eiji averted his eyes, not being able to look at him until Oishi's hand covered his.

"Is it really that bad showing your body to me?"

"It's because… it's… too early in the morning!" he was so nervous. Shuichirou touched his cheek and looked into the dark blue eyes.

"You were so cute sleeping like that. I also wanted to enjoy the view."

His whole face exploded in embarrassment and he put a pillow in front of him as well.

"I have a Christmas gift for you."

"A gift? You shouldn't have worry!" he watched when his boyfriend went to his wardrobe and returned with a small white paper bag. "I didn't get you anything, I used my extra money for dinner yesterday."

He kissed Kikumaru's forehead.

"I hope you like it. Merry Christmas, Eiji."

He opened the bag and picked up the object inside. It was a beautiful and thick wool scarf with degrade blue tones, going from light blue to navy blue.

"It's so beautiful!" he smiled.

"To protect your neck, especially when you go jogging in the morning in this cold weather." He caressed his hair. "It also matches your eyes."

He was still blushing but leaned forward to place a small kiss on his boyfriend' mouth.

"Thank you so much. I loved it, I will treasure it forever."

"Good." He stood up. "I prepared breakfast. I'm going to arrange the table while you get up and get ready, okay?"

"Okay." He showed him a small blushing smile. When Oishi left the room Eiji rubbed his face on the scarf. He was so happy!

######################

"I'm home!" Eiji smiled when he entered his house. He was removing his shoes when his father appeared on the entrance hall.

"Eij!" Masayuki hugged him tightly, ruffling his hair. "My 20 year old boy! Welcome home!"

Kikumaru hugged his father back. He had missed him a lot.

"Where's Chiho-nee and Haru-chan?" he asked when they were at the living room.

"Both of them are sleeping. Haru is teething so she was fussy all night long. I had to work alone in the restaurant."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It must have been hard."

"Yeah, it was crowded. Cold weather is great for the business." He grinned. "Are you hungry? Did you have breakfast before coming?"

"I have eaten already, thank you, Masa-nii."

"So, what are your plans for today?"

"Just hang out with you guys and helping at the restaurant at night."

"Ah, we're not opening the restaurant today. We're having a birthday dinner for you!"

"What? You didn't have to!"

"Come on, you just turned 20! We have to celebrate! We ordered a big plate of sushi from the place you like!"

"Really?!" he was excited.

"And we can finally drinking sake together! I chose a really good one! It's going to be perfect to this weather."

"Masa-nii, since the restaurant won't work, can I use the kitchen? I learned to prepare wagashi at school. I want to make for you guys."

"Really?! That's great! We can put some on the store and see how the costumers react on it."

"That would be a great feedback! Can I do it right now?!"

"Sure. Take a look at the restaurant's pantry and see what you can use from there. But I'm sure we don't have any sweet red bean paste.

"Okay!"

###############

"Shuichirou!" Takumi gave Oishi one of his bear hugs. "Welcome!"

"Hello." Shuichirou smiled when entering their apartment. They had invited him for dinner. "I brought gifts!" he showed two bags to his Takumi.

"Let me help you with that." Takumi removed his coat while he took off his scarf. It had some snowflakes on them. "Who would guess it would snow today, right? We're going to have a white Christmas!"

"It's freezing outside, I hope we won't have many children get sick next week."Where's Haruka?"

"She's finishing food at the kitchen."

"Oh, she's cooking today!" he said while they entering the place.

"Roasted pork." She smiled to his friend and he came close to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. She was cutting some leaves for the salad.

"It smells great already."

"Ah, so cute!" he grinned happily, showing to his wife a baby jumper. It was light green with a lot of little white stars. "Thank you so much, Shuichirou!"

"The baby's first gift." Haruka smiled. "I loved the color."

"Wow! Wagashi!" Takumi's scarlet eyes sparkled when he saw the delicate homemade sweets. They were shaped in different types of flowers and were colorful as well. He showed them to his wife excitedly. "Look, Haru! They are perfect!"

"Eiji made it for you guys." He said gently.

Haruka and Takumi exchanged interested looks before smiling, realizing he didn't use the honorific.

"It seems you two are really close, right?"

"Yes, things have been great." He said proudly. "He even prepared a Christmas dinner yesterday. With homemade cake and everything, since we're not spending Christmas together."

"Where is he?" Takumi asked.

"He went back to Osaka to visit his parents. It has been a while since he went there. He will be back on Tuesday.

"Are you spending Christmas by yourself?" Haruka asked, worried.

"It's okay, it's not like I'm not used to it." He smiled.

"Why don't you come with us to the inn, then? My parents would love to see you."

"I don't want to impose." He said gently.

"Shuichirou, you're family! Let's go, you can enjoy some good food, the fireplace. I can pick you up tomorrow morning at your place."

"Okay then." He admitted defeat.

"Do you guys have plans after he graduates?" Haruka asked.

"He said he wants to move in with me again. He had a very serious look on his face about wanting to be a proper adult and pay half of bills and stuff." He smiled "It was so cute."

"What about his parents? You met them, right? Are they okay with you guys dating?" Takumi asked.

"Eiji didn't talk to them about it. We didn't even discuss it ourselves. Maybe when he graduates I could sit down with them. It's not like Eiji has always dated guys and there is a big age gap as well." There was a hint of sadness on his smile. "I told him what happened to me. I just… don't want to risk and create any problems for him."

Takumi hugged his friend from his back.

"Don't worry! Anyone would be thrilled to have you as a son-in-law."

##################

Rei and Mika were sleeping together while holding each other. It was almost morning and the snow continued during all the weekend and the streets were covered in white. They were naked under the heavy covers. It was already December 26th. The temperature at the alarm clock on the bedside table near was marking 4°C.

Suddenly, they heard a loud bang at the door. Since her home was above Sakurai, it could be heard clearly and Rei sat down startled with a deep frown on her face.

"What's it?" Mika asked, deeply sleepy when her girlfriend left the bed. She sat down and watched while Rei was getting dress quickly and angrily while the banging continued.

"It's probably some drunk! I really hate owning a izakaya sometimes!"

"Don't be so upset." Mika asked gently and Rei stopped for a moment, finishing to put a t-shirt before returning to bed and kissing her.

"I'm sorry it disturbed your sleep. I'll deal with it and be right back."

"Okay." She showed a small smile.

Mika laid down again, listening while her girlfriend was going down the stairs.

The banging at the door continued while Rei was opening the door and she screamed angrily.

"What the hell are you…"

Before she could finish her sentence, her voice died and the violet eyes were wide in extreme surprised. In front of her was Eiji, his whole body trembling, covered in snow and his lips were bluish.

"Natsuya-san…" he whispered her name and couldn't even complete it before he felt like a frozen rock on the ground.

"Eiji-san!" she screamed before kneeling by his side and shaking his body. "Eiji-san, please, open your eyes!"


	65. Chapter 65

Chiho crossed the hallways of the hospital in hurried steps. She was on the UCI floor. She looked around and was about to go to the nurses' station when she saw the familiar face. Oishi was sitting in the waiting room and he stood up when she arrived.

"Oishi-sensei!" she ran to Shuichirou and the light green eyes were filled with deep concern. Oishi seemed exhausted and was a little relieved on seeing her. "Thank you so much for calling me! How is he?!"

"I talked to his doctor and she told me he still didn't wake up. He had a pretty bad hypothermia so they need to keep him properly warm."

"Oh, my God." She sat down, putting Eiji's backpack on the sofa, by her side. "Eiji…"

"Ono-san, I'm so sorry for asking such a thing, but… can you tell me what happened? The last time I talked to Eiji he was sending me pictures of Haruki and saying how happy he was with you guys. Why did he show up in Tokyo without his things and his cell phone in the middle of a snowing night?"

Shuichirou was happily sitting around the fireplace with Takumi and Haruka when his cell phone rang. It took him a while to understand what Mika was saying, she sounded extremely nervous and afraid. His friends brought him back to Tokyo and went with him to the hospital where Rei and Mika had taken Eiji. He went straight to the emergency and was taken to the ICU after being stabilized. Since Natsuya and Yagami were terribly tired and Haruka was having morning sickness, he sent them home and stayed at the hospital waiting for Chiho. Almost an entire day had already passed by.

"Everything was fine." She looked at him with her eyes glistening with tears. "But, he mentioned his boss and his roommate and how they were a couple, Masayuki just flipped. He started to say how wrong was that kind of thing, that a same sex couple was not a real relationship and a lot of other horrible things." She sobbed. "Eiji and I were so shocked; we had never seen him so upset. Eiji tried to talk to him, but he continued to say those things… Eiji just started crying and ran away. He left his cell phone and his backpack behind. His train ticket was on his jacket, so I think that's how he arrived back here."

"Since he was without his phone, money or keys, he couldn't look for shelter or call anyone." He finally understood. "And then he walked from the station to his work for help."

Shuichirou could feel his heart breaking a little while imaging Eiji having to deal with such situation at the same moment a big, serious tear rolled down Chiho's face.

"I was with the baby and I screamed to Masayuki to go after him. He looked everywhere; we didn't even open the restaurant on the following day. And then, you call me and…" she looked at him with the concern only a mother could. "Sensei… do you think he is going to be okay?"

"Let's wait and see." He showed her a small smile. "At least his vitals are good. The doctors are concerned with pneumonia, but at least he didn't need anything more drastic like intubation for oxygen. As soon as his body can keep his temperature again, he is going to be moved to a private room and be monitored from there."

"I promised Eiji I would always protect him." She whispered sadly. "And I was not able to do it. Even worse, his father said such horrible things to him. I should have gone after him. I could have stopped him to be out on such a freezing night." She sobbed her hands on her face.

"You had another child to take care of. It was not your fault." He touched her hand gently and looked at her kindly, even though he was on the edge of tears as well.

"I cannot even thank you for everything you do for Eiji. Not only now." She smiled at him. "You have always been so good for him. He only says wonderful things about you."

"You don't have to thank me." Oishi said kindly while feeling extremely guilty.

##########

Eiji's eyelids were extremely heavy when he finally opened his eyes again in a slow movement. It took him a while to focus his vision and notice the whiteness of the hospital walls around him. He moved his head to the left and the dark blue eyes were wide when seeing Shuichirou sleeping on a chair near the windows. He wanted to call his name but his voice failed on him at first. He moved his head to the right and looked at Chiho, sleeping on another chair near his bed. One of her hands was holding his while his other hand had an IV on it.

He squeezed his mother's fingers a little and it was enough to make her wake up.

"Eiji!"

Shuichirou woke up with her voice as well and came near his bed.

"You're finally awake." He smiled, relieved.

"What…" his voice was weak and hoarse. "What happened?"

"You got hypothermia." Shuichirou explained. "You walked under the snow, right? Going to Sakurai."

"Your boss and your roommate brought you here." Chiho caressed his hair, her eyes already glistening with tears. "You needed to be on the UCI and you have been sleeping for three days since then."

Chiho caressed his face.

"I'm so sorry, Eiji."

A small tear rolled down his face and he looked at his mother seriously.

"I don't want to see him."

"Masayuki is not here. He stayed home with Haruki, but he's very worried about you, I'll tell him you're awake, so…"

"I don't want to see him!" he screamed with all his might and his throat was sore, making him cough.

"Hey, calm down, please." Shuichirou asked. "Do not force yourself, you were on the edge of having pneumonia."

He grabbed his boyfriend's hand and looked at Shuichirou with pleading eyes.

"When can I leave?"

"You still need to be here for a couple of days taking medicine and fluids." He answered gently.

"Eiji, I know you're hurt, but I'm sure Masayuki already regrets what he said. Your father is so worried about you. When you go back home, I'm sure you two…"

The blue eyes narrowed and a couple of new tears ran down his cheek.

"That place is not my home and he's not my father anymore."


	66. Chapter 66

"Eiji… what… what are you saying?" Chiho looked at her son while he sat down slowly.

"I'm never going back there." He said seriously. "I never want to see him again.

"Eiji, I know the things Masayuki said were terrible, but I will talk to him about, I'm sure he will see how wronged he was and…"

The red bangs were in front of his face and Oishi noticed when his shoulders started to tremble.

"I also feel in love with a guy." He smiled sadly to himself. "It's been a while and I wanted to talk to you guys about it calmly and properly someday. I was so afraid you would reject me. But…" new tears started to fall from his face. "After hearing those words, my fears were justified."

Oishi used all his strength to remain quiet. He wanted to hug his boyfriend and comfort him, but he knew doing so could get things worse. He still didn't believe Eiji was saying those words. He had never discussed the subject with him.

"You're probably disappointed with me, right, Chiho-nee? I…" his voice broke down and he sob, but at the same time, he felt his mother's arms around him, holding him tightly.

"Don't say such a thing!" she said, seriously. "You're my child! You're my first child!" she cupped her face and smiled at him even though her eyes were also filled with tears. "I love you so much, Eiji. You shouldn't be afraid or talking to us, ever, about anything."

"Chiho-nee…"

"I'm so sorry you're hurt." she gently whipped his tears away. "I'm so sorry for everything. But, I promise you I'm not disappointed with you. I would never be over such a thing. Seeing the person you become is my biggest joy as mother."

Kikumaru hugged her tightly and his cried intensify while Chiho comforted him.

"When things get better we will talk this properly, okay?" she caressed his hair. "But for now, you need to focus on your health. This is the most important thing. I was so afraid I would lose you."

###############

"Thank you so much, Sensei." Chiho made a reverence to Oishi. They were on the hallway in front of Eiji's room. "I cannot even say thank you enough for everything you are doing now. I'm so sorry for imposing so much on you."

"Don't mention, Ono-san. I'm glad I can help." He said, gently. "You need to go back to your baby. I will let you know when he's out of the hospital and I will take care of him while he recovers. Do not worry."

"I wish he would just return home." She took a deep breath. "I will still have to yell at my stupid husband."

"I hope things can be solved on that matter. I know how much Eiji loves you guys and he is hurting terribly."

"Did you know about it?" she looked at him and Oishi felt incredibly guilty. "About… that person he talked about?"

"Well, I…" he didn't know how to say. He felt horrible for lying and extremely guilty and Chiho noticed he was uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't be asking such a thing to you. You looked surprised as I was when hearing about that." she looked at her watch. "Ah, I'm going to be late for the train."

"Can I drop you off at the station?"

"No, it's okay. I'll get a cab." She held his hand. "Thank you so much again, Sensei."

"It's my pleasure to help." He answered kindly, touching her hand as well.

##############

Eiji was laying on his side, looking at the snow falling outside the windows when Shuichirou returned to his room.

"Did she leave?" Eiji asked with a weak voice.

"Yes." He answered, sitting on his bed. "She was so worried about you."

"Do you think what she said was true? Will she still be able to love me as her kid?"

Shuichirou brought him close by hugging him gently and Kikumaru was a little surprised.

"I don't think your mother was lying. She does love you very much."

Eiji touched his hands with his own.

"Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not." He answered sincerely. "But why didn't you tell me you wanted to talk to your parents?"

"I thought you would be against it. After what happened with your father." He smiled sadly to himself. "I really didn't mean anything when I mentioned Natsuya-san and Mika-san, I just said the restaurant was going to be close so they could spend Christmas together. But, if Masa-nii acted like that talking about someone else, I wonder how bad it would be if I had told him about us."

"Let's deal with this later." He caressed his hair. "For now, I just want you to be okay. I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry." His voice trembled and Oishi knew he was making a great effort to not cry again. "I only give you problems. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." He tightened his embrace. "Everything will be okay. I'm here for you."

#############

Chiho took a deep breath as soon as she entered her home. She was terribly tired. Everything was dark and silent. She took off her shoes and hang her coat before leaving the entrance area. She went to her room and there was only a small lamp lit on the bedside table. Haruki was asleep on her crib and her husband was standing by the windows, looking at the soft snow falling. She got close to the crib and smiled, looking at the baby's face.

"Did she eat?" she asked in a low tone of voice and Masayuki turned around, surprised.

"You're back." He looked at her worried. "Yes, I gave her a bottle before putting her to sleep, an hour ago."

"Good." She turned around without looking at him. Masayuki followed his wife to the kitchen and watched while she picked up a glass of water. He sat down while she drank it and hesitated a little before talking again.

"How's Eiji?"

She needed a moment before answering, closing her eyes for a while.

"The only reason I'm not going to scream with you it's because Haruki is sleeping." The light green eyes were hard over him and there was a deep frown on his face. "Eiji said this is not his home anymore and you're not his father."

"What…"

"He's also in a relationship with a man. I don't know the details, but he said it's been happening for a while now and the way he said it, I think it's serious."

She got close to him and grabbed his shirts and Masayuki noticed her hands were trembling. "Do you have any idea how your horrible words made him feel? You hurt our son."

"But!"

"No buts! He's our child!" she looked at the cooper eyes and he noticed she was about to cry. "Didn't we work so hard because we want to give him a family, a home? Weren't you the one who said we would always make him happy?! Everything we achieve it was for his sake!"

She let go and stopped at the doorway, her voice filled with sadness.

"He will stay with Sensei while he recovers. On the meanwhile, you will think ways to apologize to Eiji. Properly and sincerely. Otherwise, you won't only lose a son to your stupidity; you will lose your wife and daughter as well."

Chiho walked away and Masayuki stood there, unable to do or say anything.

#####

**Author's note: Is anyone reading this fic? If there is, please, leave a review. It would make me very happy. **


	67. Chapter 67

Oishi took a while to take off his shoes and his coat after entering home. It was Friday night and he was exhausted. A week had passed by since Eiji left the hospital and went to his place. He was still in bed rest and taking medications for his lungs. Aside from his own house chores, he had to take care of food and laundry for the both of them and his work at the hospital.

He turned on the living room before going to his bedroom. Everything was dark there as well and there was a lump under the covers. He came close to the bed and sat down, gently rubbing Eiji's back.

"Eiji, I'm home. Are you okay?"

"Welcome home." His voice was weak. Since he was released from the hospital, his spirits were very low and he would spend the whole day under those covers, only leaving the room to eat or shower.

"Did you have lunch?"

"I was not hungry."

"Eiji… you need to eat even if you're not hungry. It's not good to be with an empty stomach for so long. Specially when taking medication." He would only eat with Shuichirou's company for breakfast and dinner.

"I'm sorry." Oishi felt horrible. He was apologizing a lot lately with the saddest voice.

"Let me see you." He asked gently. "Please."

He moved slowly and sat down on bed, the covers slid to his shoulders. Shuichirou smiled at him.

"Hello." He said gently, touching his hair."Your hair is all over the place." He pushed away his bangs a little so he could see his dark blue eyes better.

"Would you come and have dinner with me, please? I will just take a quick shower first."

"Okay." He laid down again, hugging the pillow and Shuichirou looked worried at him for a while before leaving the bedroom.

He got to the bathroom and looked at his own reflection on the mirror before starting to undress. He was feeling utterly lost and useless towards his boyfriend sadness.

When Oishi left the bathroom he was already dressed in one of his pajamas when his cellphone started to ring. He smiled after looking at the caller.

"Takumi, good evening."

"Yo, Shuichirou. Are you home? I'm at your door."

He rushed to the door and opened it quickly. His friend was there with a big smile and a bag on his hands.

"Takumi, what are you doing here?" he smiled. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I brought you guys food." He handed him the bag. "There's beef kare and rice in there."

"Wow, really? Thank you so much!" he was so grateful. "Eiji is probably getting sick of my food by now. I was just struggling trying to decide what I should cook today."

"How's he?"

Shuichirou looked at his room for a while before lowering his tone of voice.

"The same." He smiled sadly. "I can't get more than five words from him."

"He still didn't talk to his father?"

"Not yet. That's why he's so depressed. Eiji was always very attached to his family. He always did his best to make them proud. He's heartbroken."

"He's not going to therapy anymore?"

"He doesn't want to go. I can't get him to do anything aside from eating and taking his medication. Next week is his checkup, so maybe he will feel more at ease."

"I see. What about you? Haru is worried; she said you're sleeping on your free times at your office."

"I'm just tired." He smiled, wanting to put him at ease. "I'm also feeling guilty."

"Shuichirou, don't blame yourself. You know people don't always act like how we want them to. This is something Eiji-kun has to solve with his father at his own time." He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You're already doing your best taking care of him."

"Thank you, Takumi." He said kindly. "And thank you again for the food."

"Don't mention it. I will bring some more until Eiji-kun gets better. You need to rest as well."

"I really appreaciate it."

##########

"Is this from Takumi-san?" Eiji asked, looking at his plate. They were at the dining table.

"Yes, he came by quickly to bring us food." He smiled. "Does it smell amazing?"

He didn't respond, just looking at the food and starting to eat. He had lost all his excitement towards meals and it was heartbreaking.

Suddendly his cellphone started to vibrate on the table. Eiji looked at the screen for a moment before blocking the call and returning to eat.

"Who was it?"

"Chiho-nee." He answered a little annoyed.

"Is everything okay?" Oishi asked worried.

"She wants me to go to Osaka and talk to Masa-nii."

"Aren't you going?"

"No. And I don't want to talk about it."

"But, Eiji…"

"I don't want to talk about it." He finally looked at him again, a frown on his face. "I'm going to take a bath."

"Eiji, you barely ate."

He left without giving him any attention and Oishi felt extremely useless.

###########

Eiji closed his eyes while the warm water hit his face, trying to calm down. His humor was horrible on those last days and he would do his best to keep quiet so he would't snap at Shuichirou. His boyfriend was being so kind and considerate while taking such a good care of him but he was just feeling empty and powerless.

He was missing his family so much. Lowering his face, Kikumaru felt the tears rolling down his face together with the shower water. He had cried alone and silently on the shower so many times already, he was almost getting used to it, but he just didn't want to give Oishi any more concerns.

When Eiji finished showering, it was already time for his medicine again and he went to the kitchen to take them. When he returned to the room his boyfriend was already on bed and sleeping. He was so terribly handsome, even on his sleep. Kikumaru didnt remember the last time they share a kiss. His boyfriend continued to be as gentle as always with him, but he was distant.

Oishi woke up with Eiji kissing his abdomen.

"Eiji... what are you doing?"

"Let's have sex." he whispered.

"Eiji... wait... I..."

"It's okay, you don't have to do anything. I know you're tired." he looked at him and there was something strange on the blue eyes. "Just put it in."

He was about to remove his pants when Oishi gently pushed him away from his shoulders before sitting down. The green eyes looked at him seriously.

"I don't want to. Please."

"Why?" he was really confused.

"I don't want to have sex like is meaningless."

"What do you want, then? You never kiss me anymore, you don't even hug me! I'm still your boyfriend, not your patient!"

"I want you to go to Osaka and talk to your father."

Even though he said the words with a lot of care and gentleness, it was enough for the dark blue eyes to be hard over him again. Eiji was about to leave the bed when Oishi stopped him, holding his wrist gently but firmly.

"Let me go."

"Please, just listen to me. Your mom said she was going to talk to your father. If she is insisting so much, things had probably improved. I don't think she would call you over only for you guys to fight again."

"You can't be sure about that." He averted his eyes, doing his best to not cry again. Oishi let go of his arm.

"I know you're missing them. You're sulking every moment of every day."

"I'm not sulking, I'm just sick."

"I know how much you love your family, so why won't you try and make peace with your father?"

"Come with me, then."

"What?"

"Come with me so we can talk to them." He held his hand and his expression finally softened. "He likes you. If Masa-nii knows we are together, if we show him how much we love each other, I'm sure…"

"I don't think it's a good idea." He said, seriously. "You should focus on making amends with your father; rubbing our relationship on his face is not going to help."

"But…"

"Actually…" he took a deep breath, searching for courage. "I think we should take a break."

Eiji released his hand and he felt the air caught on his troath with his words.

"Why?" he asked almost in a whisper.

"I don't want to create any more problems for you. Even if your parents accept you dating another man, it would be difficult for them to deal with someone so much older. Not to mention, I hid things from your mother."

"I don't want that!" he grabbed Oishi's pajama shirt and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Oishi-san!"

"I've been thinking about it for a while. I really think it's for the best, at least until things between you and your family improve. Your classes are starting two weeks from now, right? You won't be able to concentrate properly if you don't solve this situation."

He let go of his shirt and lowered his head again, feeling extremely defeated. Eiji could hear the beating of his heart, while breaking, echoing on his ears.

"I hope you understand."

"Yes." It took him all his strength to say those two words without crying.

"It's late already. Let's sleep. We can talk better in the morning."

Eiji laid down and hoped for Shuichirou to hug him or kiss his forehead goodnight but nothing happened and he felt even more abandoned.

#######

Kikumaru looked at Shuichirou for a moment. He was standing on the bedroom's door, dressed and with his backpack. The sun was not even out yet. He stood there while watching his boyfriend sleeping, wanting to engrave that moment on his heart. The tears started to fall and he didn't even notice at first. It was like his soul was overflowing with sorrow.

Turning around, he left the apartment silently. More tears painfully continued to roll down and burn his face, while he mourned the end of his first love.


End file.
